


Mysterious Ways

by xoelectric



Category: Blake Shelton (Musician), Gwen Stefani - Fandom, Shefani, The Voice (US) RPF
Genre: F/M, Romance, Teacher-Student Relationship
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-02-07
Updated: 2017-08-16
Packaged: 2018-09-22 14:29:29
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 13
Words: 36,342
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9611492
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xoelectric/pseuds/xoelectric
Summary: Let her talk about the things you can't explainTo touch is to healTo hurt is to stealIf you want to kiss the skyBetter learn how to kneel





	1. So It Begins

Her life was turning out far from what she had always envisioned. 

Graduate high school, marry Gavin, start a career, have a few kids. Go to soccer practice, church on Sundays, family dinners on Wednesdays. It wasn’t complicated, it was simple. Gwen had always liked simple. Simple worked for her parents, it was good enough for them, and it had always been a dream of hers.

What actually ended up happening was Gavin screwing the head cheerleader at prom in the back of _their_ limo and watching her heart break before her eyes. The high school sweetheart she was so intent on marrying gone in an instant, and the rest hadn’t exactly written itself out yet.

He thought she was stupid, and had no problem telling her so. Gwen had a fantastic voice, very unique and unlike anything else around that she loved to share with the world. So far, the ‘world’ mostly composed of Sunday choir, but she was hopeful. She didn’t have an interest in anything else, didn’t want to go to college to be a doctor or a lawyer, she just had this escape that she loved when she wrote songs and sang. Gavin told her since they met each other in ninth grade it was a ridiculous dream; sure, they lived in LA, but they were surrounded with talent and what made hers so different from anyone else’s? It always irked him when she wasn’t considering the practical thing, but it didn’t matter any longer because that relationship was in the dust. And she had to try and do what was right for her, even though this was all new and scary as hell.

So she took some time off after graduation. She got by working as a personal assistant to some big record label guru, and the time finally came when she found the strength and courage to apply to get into Manchester, the west coast’s answer to Juilliard, for voice. She didn’t feel polished enough to try to pursue music on her own, and her parents were worried about her not having any kind of education to fall back on, and so the decision goes. She had always wondered what ‘college life’ would be like, and before she knew it, she was standing in the midst of a sea of excited new students for orientation. 

Or, at least, that was what happened earlier that morning. For now, she was drunk, stumbling somewhere along the outskirts of campus, not seeing a soul in sight or having a damn clue where she was. 

It had all started when her new roommate that she had known for less than 24 hours, Behati, insisted they not act like boring people and go out to find all of the good parties on campus. She had secretly started to wonder if this girl was going to be a good influence on her, because Gwen hadn’t exactly been much of a partier before. She also apparently didn’t know her limits for alcohol, contributing to her current predicament. She had lost Behati somewhere between two fraternity houses. She remembered wanting to go for a walk, with the intention of coming back, but when she realized she had been walking for so long, well, that helped her into her current predicament as well. If she hadn’t been so intoxicated in that moment, maybe she would have been scared. Walking alone at night, never finding her apartment, getting kidnapped. The possibilities ran through her head, but they didn’t faze her. She just kept walking, hoping she would eventually run into something she recognized. 

Gwen stopped on the sidewalk and kicked her heels off, electing to walk barefoot instead as she scooped them up and continued walking. Drunk or not, those things hurt, and she didn’t know how much longer she would have to keep walking. Her eyes glazed over a bit as she continued, only stopping for a moment as she heard something rustling from the side fence of the house she was walking next to. Her curiosity piqued, she crossed into the grass and looked through the holes on the wooden fence door. Her face lit up in a grin as she saw a dog on the other side, wagging her tail and getting excited to see her there.

“Look at you, precious baby,” she squealed softly, sticking her small hand through one of the holes to pet the dog’s nose. The dog got excited and pushed forward, her front paws hoisting up and resting on the fence, trying to get closer to her. Gwen giggled, looked to both sides, and tossed her heels over the fence with great force. One hit the ground immediately as the other hit the gutter and made a loud noise, her hand coming over her mouth to contain her giggles over the noise she had just made. Her foot went into the hole on the fence and she pushed herself up, holding the top of it and making way too much noise for what little effort she was exerting. The small dress Behati had forced her into was basically only covering half of her ass now as her leg made it over the fence, leap frogging it, before her gaze went down to the ground and her eyes widened. The dog was getting so much more excited and started barking at her, jumping up to try and get Gwen to pet her. She giggled a little and flipped herself over the rest of the fence, gasping and letting out a small scream just before she fell and her back hit the ground with an even louder _thump_.

“Oooowwwww….ow ow ow ow….” she whined, as the dog came and jumped on top of her and began licking her face. Gwen temporarily forgot about her pain as she started laughing, her hands rubbing behind the dog’s ears and down her back as she began to cuddle and play with her. 

“What’s going on out here?!”

She heard the back door swing open from the house that she had technically just broken into their backyard, her eyes filled with horror, not knowing what was going to happen next. The dog kept pawing at her and licking her face, and to be honest, Gwen was far too drunk to try and stand up and run away at this point. 

“Betty, come here, girl,” the voice came again, Gwen’s eyes falling a very tall man with an accent she couldn’t quite place. She swallowed hard. The dog jumped up at the mention of her name and took a few running strides towards the man, sitting quietly and contently at his feet. 

“I, uhm…” Gwen said, pulling herself into a sitting position and avoiding the man’s eyes. “I just wanted to pet the dog. I…I’m sorry. Please don’t be mad at me.” Her voice was soft, and quite frankly, terrified. It would be just her luck if this man called the cops and she ends up in jail on her first night away from home. Just her damn luck. He didn’t respond immediately and Gwen reached behind her, grabbing onto the fence to help her stand up, her hand going to her head as she felt her world spinning all of the sudden. 

“You’re bleeding,” he said, taking a few careful steps towards her, not wanting to startle her. “Your leg. You must have gashed it open when you fell over the fence."

“I’m fine, I can just go,” she said softly, taking a step towards the other side of the fence where she saw the gate latch but stopping, closing her eyes as she felt that spinning feeling again. The next thing she knew, she felt a hand on her shoulder. 

“Hey, it’s okay. Let me help you. I can’t just let you go like this…where do you live?”

“I don’t remember. I’m new to the neighborhood.”

“Where are you going?”

She shrugged in response. 

“Come on, let me at least take you inside to clean up your leg. Maybe you’ll remember in the meantime?”

“Okay,” she conceded pretty quickly, but didn’t move. 

“Are you alright? Can you walk?”

“Can you make your backyard stop spinning first?”

He let out a small chuckle. “Put your arm around my neck.”

“What? Why?”

“Just do it. You can trust me.”

He moved and was standing next to her then, crouching a bit next to her small frame for her to be able to reach up and slide her arm around his neck as he instructed. Gently and slowly, he scooped down and picked her up into his arms, walking her into the house. He gently laid her down on the couch, and she let her arm fall down from his neck as he stood back up.

“How much did you have to drink tonight?” he asked casually, as he stepped over into the small half bath to find the first aid kit he kept there.

“Dunno. Vodka? Malibu? And there was that brown stuff too.”

“What’s your name?”

She giggled. “Nothing interesting.”

“Can’t say I’ve heard that one before,” he said with a chuckle. “I’m Blake, by the way. The dog is Betty.”

Betty jumped up on the couch with Gwen at that point, a grin coming to her face as the dog came between her legs, and she was petting her again. The dog laid down then on top of her and Gwen continued to scratch behind her ears, her attention only turning away for a moment when she realized Blake was standing next to her.

“This is going to feel cold,” he warned. “But I need to clean it, okay?” He kneeled down next to her, his right hand resting on her leg as he looked at the gash. Her eyes met his and locked for a moment, before she forced her gaze away.

“Okay,” she said softly. 

He touched the cool rag to the wound and she jolted a little, more from the cold sensation than anything else. He cleaned it a bit, and reached for the neosporin. “The cut isn’t that deep, that’s good,” he observed. She giggled a little at that, she had no idea why, because it probably wasn’t funny, but in her current state, she was having trouble finding things that _weren’t_ funny. Blake looked up to her and gave her a questioning look, which only made her giggle a little more. She leaned back against the couch as the dizzy spell crept up on her again, closing her eyes. She felt his thumb rub the ointment onto her wound, the sounds of a bandaid wrapper followed by gentle pressure against her thigh to make it stick. 

“That should be good. Why don’t you try to sit up and I’ll get you some water?” he asked. 

Gwen let out a groan and didn’t move. 

“You’re not much of a drinker, are you?” he asked. Her eyes open and she shrugged, letting out another laugh. Her arms went straight out to him now, searching for his hands. He took her hands and she pulled herself up into a sitting position, her fingers rubbing her forehead a bit as she adjusted. By the time she was fully adjusted he was standing, walking towards and then back from the kitchen with a glass of water. He sat behind her on the couch and handed it to her, which she took with two delicate, but slightly shaky hands. 

“Start drinkin’ that, it’ll help, trust me,” he offered softly. Her eyes peered over to him as her body turned slightly towards him. She took a few sips of the water, watching him the entire time. Her hands started shaking a bit holding onto the glass and he moved forward and took it from her, setting it on the table next to them. 

“Why are you being so nice to me? Did you call the cops and you just wanna make sure I stay put for them?”

He chuckled, his voice low. “I wouldn’t be much of a gentleman if I let a drunk girl with a gash on her leg wander around these streets alone late at night. No cops. Even though you broke into my backyard, I just want to help.”

“Betty is pretty,” she said with a grin. It caused him to laugh again. Their eyes were locked, her lips parted ever so slightly, and she realized this was the longest she had looked at him. She took in his striking features, his jawline, his blue eyes. " _You're kind of pretty too_ ," she mumbled, in addition. And she didn’t know what possessed her, what hit her, because she wasn’t this person. She wasn’t the person that all of a sudden was leaning forward, and pressing her lips against a total stranger’s.

Blake didn’t immediately back away, though. He was shocked by the gesture, but he wasn’t stupid. There was something so endearing about her, she was really attractive, and he was just drawn to her and….wait. 

“No,” he whispered, his hands resting on her shoulders as he pushed her away slightly. One simple word sent her into a panic. Her eyes wide over what she just did, and oh my god, how was she really this stupid.

“Oh my god,” she said in a panic. She didn’t know who this person was that just did that, she didn’t know what possessed her, and she didn’t know why she all of a sudden wanted to do that again, even though she was clearly having a panic attack over his response. “I’m leaving now, oh my god, I…I…” She stood up quickly, too quickly as she tried to walk past him, but ended up stumbling and falling forward slightly and knocking the full glass of water right into her dress, which caused her to gasp and squeal as the cold liquid hit her body and completely soaked what was left of her dress. She stood there and held herself against the table in shock, hesitating. 

“No, hey, it’s okay just…please, sit back down,” he had said, just before jumping back as the water came crashing down over her dress. 

“I’m such a horrible person,” she said to nobody in particular. “I got drunk. I lost my friend. I lost myself. I broke into your back yard. I…I….” she couldn’t even say it, so she skipped it, ”….and now I ruined Behati’s dress, and why are there two of so many things in your house, Blake?” She went from serious to giggling in less than five seconds as the concept of having two of everything was just funny. Why was she laughing so much?

“Sit back down,” he said, reaching out for her arm and guiding her back to the couch. “I’m going to get you clothes to change into, and it’s just water, I’ll wipe it up. You’ll stay here tonight to sober up and tomorrow we’ll figure out where you live, okay?” She nodded profusely a few times as she took a seat, and he did just that. He came back five minutes later with an oversized flannel shirt, a towel that he put on the ground, and a pillow and blanket for the couch. He fluffed the pillow on the edge of the couch and laid the blanket to the side, handing her the flannel shirt. His eyes looked away as his body turned, giving her a bit of privacy.

She huffed in frustration, almost near tears now. “Blake, it won’t come off.”

He slowly turned his attention towards her, catching sight of her arms twisted behind her back, unable to find the zipper. He sighed and reached forward, pulling the zipper down the length of her spine, exposing her bare back to him. “There you go,” he said, slightly distracted, forcing his gaze away from her again. She shrugged the dress off and wrapped the flannel around her body, not bothering to button it as she curled up into a ball on the couch. When another few minutes had passed he looked over at her, finding her eyes shut and her body passed out.

He let out a quiet, amused chuckle, shaking his head as he stood up. He reached over and grabbed the blanket, draping it over her, before turning the lights off and heading up to bed himself. 

Little did either of them know what was in store for them after this fateful night.


	2. The Morning After

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm glad you all are so excited about this fic, because I am too! Hope it doesn't disappoint. I wasn't expecting to update before the weekend but I wanted to get this short update out as something rather than nothing. 
> 
> Also, one of my friends has been bugging me to make a twitter for my writing persona so she can tag it, so you should go follow me @xoelectric ...no idea what will become of it, probably updates and randomness and asking for opinions :)

Before the sun even came up, she awoke, startled. 

Her eyes took in the unfamiliar living room around her. She felt the unfamiliar fabric of the flannel covering her body, and it took her a few moments for her hazy memory to piece everything together from the night before. Her gaze adjusted to the somewhat dark room, only illuminated by the hall light, the only feeling hitting her in those moments was embarrassment. That, and worry. 

She was worried about what happened last night. She didn’t know where she was, whose house she was sleeping in, if Behati was even alive…there were so many unknowns, which made her swallow. Carefully she swung her legs over the side of the couch to sit up, her face scrunching up in pain as her hand went to her head, feeling that hangover. Her eyes opened again and she saw a bottled water in front of her with a bottle of Tylenol, and even though she had no idea who was being so kind and generous to her, her heart warmed. Gwen thought it was so crazy that she basically broke into some guy’s backyard and she was too stupid drunk to get ahold of herself and instead of calling the cops, he put her on his couch to recover. 

Her hand moved forward as she took the bottle in her hands, shaking out the maximum dose and throwing it back, chasing it with the water bottle. She felt her cheeks redden as her anxiety was rising, and soon she was standing up, looking around for her heels and her dress. She found her heels sitting by the door, however, her dress was nowhere to be found. She sighed, frustrated, and almost near tears as she quietly kept looking around the room, coming up empty. Of course this couldn’t be an easy escape. 

She felt really terrible, but she looked down at the flannel shirt she was wearing and started buttoning up the buttons on the shirt, hugging it to her chest. She was just praying she really wasn’t that far from her apartment and that maybe in daylight, and less alcohol in her system, she could figure out how to get home. She didn’t exactly have her phone, though, and directions were not exactly her thing. She came to the conclusion that she was going to risk it, stealing this guy’s shirt in the process to avoid any further embarrassment. 

She slipped out the back. 

——

The sun was fully risen now, and she was exhausted. 

Her fingers hooked around the heels in her hand as her arms clenched tightly to the shirt covering her body as she came to the next street sign. She was pretty sure this was now the sixth or seventh time she saw Dabney Avenue, and her frustration came full force as she had to force herself to not cry. She couldn’t get emotional, even though she was starting to become terrified she was never going to find out where she was or where she needed to go. The only thing that pulled her out of the thoughts was the sudden feeling of something licking her hand, she jumped back a little in shock as her eyes fell down on Betty once more.

“Out for a morning run?” Blake’s voice came, as she looked to her left and realized she was back standing right in front of his house again. He was standing on the small porch with a cup of coffee in his hand, leaning against one of the panels, keeping his amused gaze on her. Gwen felt her cheeks redden, turning her attention away for a few moments as she scratched behind Betty’s ears, before taking a few careful strides towards him. 

“I…I have no idea where I’m going. Obviously,” she said, with a sigh. 

“Because you don’t know where you live,” he said, sipping his coffee. “Betty seems to really like you, by the way. Doesn’t typically take to people so fast.” At that moment Betty followed up behind Gwen, using her nose to nudge at her thigh for attention, which made a small smile come across her features as she turned her attention down to the dog, petting her head to show her affection. 

“I was going to bring your shirt back. I just couldn’t find my dress.”

“I wasn’t worried ‘bout it.”

“I just wanted you to know. Because, I mean, this isn’t a typical thing for me…breaking into peoples backyards and stealing their clothes. And getting lost, while not new, hasn’t been like this before.” She let out a painful sigh as her hand came to her head and she forced her eyes shut, feeling that pounding migraine again. 

“Come on. Why don’t you come in and have some breakfast. It’ll make you feel better.”

“I’ve already intruded too much, I can’t,” she said. “Besides, food is the last thing I want right now.”

“Dry toast, then,” he offered, before pausing. “What’s your plan? How long have you been walking these streets?”

“It was dark when I started.” Her eyes went back up to him, and Blake gave her a knowing look. “Okay.”

She took a few strides towards his door, Blake reaching out to open the door for her as he led her back inside. He whistled quickly at Betty and she sprung to life, bouncing in behind both of them just before he closed and locked the front door.

“Can I sit down?” she asked quietly.

“Of course,” he answered, nodding his head towards the living room that she had slept in the night before. 

Gwen didn’t hesitate to move forward, bringing herself into the living room, curling herself into a ball on the side of the couch. She frowned as she felt the large bandaid covering her right thigh for the first time, a little surprised that she hadn’t really noticed it that much until then. She stretched her leg out on the couch, moved the shirt up higher on her leg, and gently peeled the bandaid back to look at the wound. She observed it for a few moments before she heard footsteps coming into the living room, that seemed to halt, catching the view. 

“Oh, I, um…” he began. “I just wanted to bring you toast and water. It should help,” he offered, setting it down on the side table next to her, before he turned to walk away.

“Wait,” she said, turning her attention towards him. “Can you stay for a few minutes?” She didn’t know exactly why, or exactly what she was thinking she wanted from that, but it came out before she was even aware. He turned back and moved to sit next to her on the couch as she retracted her leg, making room. She was visibly holding back tears as their eyes just locked for a few minutes, her body tense. 

"Can I see it?" he asked, trying to be helpful, trying to say anything to fill these moments of this weird, unexpected... _no_ , he shouldn't go there. Her eyes scanned down to the bandaid before looking up to him and nodding, giving him permission. Blake moved forward and gently pulled the bandaid back, looking at it for a moment. His hand was resting on her thigh again, and damn it if it wasn't even more distracting now that she was sober. What was going on with her?

“I’m really sorry,” was all she could say in those moments. “All of this. I’m really sorry. Look, really, I can go…you shouldn’t have to deal with me. And then I can’t believe I…” Her cheeks reddened again. She still couldn’t say it. 

"I think it'll heal just fine," he said, peeling the bandaid all the way off and reaching for the first aid kit that was still resting on the coffee table. He pulled a few out and opened one, gently pressing it against the wound. The others he placed in her hand. "Take these, you'll probably want to put fresh ones on it until it heals more. And, you don't have to be sorry. Not at all."

Silence followed next, it wasn't until a moment later that Blake realized his hand was still resting against her bare skin and he pulled it away, nervously. He stood up and closed the first aid kit, tossing a few things into the trash a few strides away. Eventually, be broke the silence.

“Let me at least drive you home. Do you live in an apartment? A house?”

“Apartment. Something called Palladium…I don’t know the address.”

“Palladium Heights?”

“That sounds right.”

“Jesus, that’s probably at least five miles away that you walked.” Her eyes widened at that realization. No wonder she couldn’t find her way back. “By the way, I have your dress upstairs in the dryer. It was drenched from that water last night.”

“Now who is stealing who’s clothes?” she said, her eyes coming up to him again, a very faint smile on her face.

“I mean, I had to. That dress is _my color_.”

Gwen face broke out into a full smile as she threw her head back slightly, laughing at his corny joke. Blake’s eyes didn’t move off of her as his smile grew too, suddenly hitting him that it was probably the most beautiful he had ever seen. 

“Well, I’ll…I’ll go grab it, and we’ll head out, okay?” Blake said, a bit awkwardly as he had to muster all of his strength to pull his gaze off of her, and forced it elsewhere. Anywhere else. He stood up, retrieved the dress and his keys, and motioned them out the front door to his truck. 

Within ten minutes, he located her apartment complex and they drove inside, finding her building.

“Well, uhm, thank you and…I’m sorry, again,” she said softly, her eyes going towards him as her body turned to leave out of his truck. 

“It’s no problem, darlin’,” Blake said with a smile. Her hand latched onto the door handle and pushed, but he spoke up again. “Wait…” Her attention went back to him. He reached into the glove compartment and pulled out a small notepad, scribbling something on a page and ripping it out, handing it to her. She took it from him gently and she looked at it. It was a phone number.

“Once you find your phone, uh, just let me know you’re alright, okay?”

She nodded, with a quick smile, before turning and exiting his truck, taking a few steps towards her apartment complex. She was just barely to the stairs before Blake’s voice came again.

“Betty, get back here!”

Gwen’s attention turned and before she saw what was happening, she felt two paws on her stomach as she jumped up on her, making her laugh again. “Sweet girl,” Gwen whispered, kneeling down a bit and rubbing behind her ears.

“Betty, come on!”

“Go on,” Gwen whispered, nodding her head towards Blake, and Betty obliged immediately, running and jumping back up into the truck with him. She forcefully averted her eyes and began climbing up the stairs, hearing the truck drive away. 

Blake only made it a quarter of a mile down the road before he realized he had never even asked her name.


	3. Crash

The quick flash of a fake ID and a carefully timed adjustment of a push up bra got her inside. Just like Behati said it would; and she executed both flawlessly.

In the few days she had known the girl, the Namibian bombshell had gotten Gwen beyond intoxicated, lost, kept her up and dragged her out late at night, and now she was graced with a fake ID to get into the bars because apparently, there weren't too many exciting things to do when you weren’t twenty one in this town. Not like Gwen was a huge drinker or partier, Behati definitely had the crown for that, but she had to admit she was curious. She was curious about all of these formerly restricted places that looked so glamorous in the movies that were now opened up to her thanks to Piper Donaldson from New York City _(or, at least that’s what her fake ID said)._

She hadn’t anticipated any of this to happen. She didn’t know why she kept thinking back to that night, that next morning, _him_. Maybe she just missed being cared for like that. Maybe she had really not been cared for like that at all. There was something about him that she just couldn’t put her finger on. Something deep, central to his character and being that just drew her in like a magnet, silent, unexplainable chemistry like she had never felt before. 

She realized she might be crazy, she didn’t even know much about him. His name was Blake, and he had a dog named Betty. Betty was obsessed with her. Apparently, if someone drunkedly falls into his backyard, he scoops them up and takes care of them on his couch instead of calling the cops. His eyes were intense, and he just had this sense of knowing. She felt like he could see right through her and that thought was exhilarating and terrifying all at the same time - and all off of one simple encounter. 

Gwen had debating plugging his number into her phone after she found her own. Maybe she was just crazy, it was quite possible, but what if she wasn’t? She finally had taken the plunge and shot him off a simple text, letting him know she found her phone and how thankful she was for his help. He knew exactly who it was the moment he got it, and after a few more texts exchanged, somehow it evolved into him inviting her out to this bar. He said she was new to town and needed someone to show her around, and something was stirring in her stomach so deep that she couldn’t possibly have said no to him, disregarding her nerves shooting to an all time high.

And he was there.

Standing in the far back corner of the bar by himself, leaning casually against a wall and next to a standing table, he was there. He was easy to spot, one just didn’t forget what he looked like, and she felt her stomach flip the moment his eyes caught onto hers from across the room. Once their eyes tangled, his lip rested against the bourbon glass for a moment, almost forgetting about it before he set it down on the table next to him, careful not to break contact with her. Gwen’s heels clicked forward slowly, a subtle smile on her features as he watched her walk towards him. He let out a visible breath. 

Gwen was standing in front of him now, just a simple reach forward away from him as she stopped, and let out a breath. He really was even better than she remembered him from a few days ago, and she felt her nerves rise again as he gently pushed off the wall and stood in front of her.

The corners of his lips turned up into a faint smile. Blake dared to move his arms forward slowly, coming around her waist and resting his hands against her back as he encouraged her closer to him. Her heartbeat was erratic now that he had her by the eyes and the waist. It was almost too much for her to handle as she bit her lip, looking up at him. She moved in a bit closer, feeling his warmth as her arms rested tentatively on his chest, but not quite snaking up to his neck just yet. 

He leaned to the side to whisper in her ear. “Is it crazy that all I want to do right now is kiss you?” he asked, letting out a breath. He didn’t want to scare her away but damn it, he couldn’t help it.

She nipped gently at his ear. “Please,” she whispered against his skin with a smile. A moment later he pulled back, moving forward and pressing his lips firmly against hers.

Gwen’s arms snaked up to hook around his neck as she took that kiss in, her body rocking into his as Blake’s back hit the wall with a gentle _thud_. His hands wandered up and down her back in light strokes, Gwen letting out soft moans of approval against his lips as she felt herself melt against him. He pulled back a bit to let them both catch some air, that same look in their eyes.

“You made me feel bad,” she murmured, looking up at him disapprovingly. 

“What?” he asked, shocked. 

“When I wanted to do this before, you _totally_ shut me down.”

He thought back to that night, the first time he met her. It was only a few days ago, but felt like so long at the same time. When she had leaned in to give him that kiss, he was frozen in panic. Not panic bad, just… _disbelief_. It was then he came to the conclusion that all of this was crazy, none of this made sense, but he desperately needed to see how this was going to play out. 

Blake let out a soft chuckle as Gwen pretended to pout. “I don’t take advantage of drunk women, darlin’.”

“Well, I’m not drunk right now,” Gwen observed, her gaze breaking from him for a few fleeting moments as she looked around, side to side. “Did you want to take advantage of me?”

He felt himself hardening, this woman already had a profound effect on him and he had no idea why. He leaned forward and nipped at her bottom lip. “I still don’t even know your name. I know nothing about you at all.”

“Does that matter?”

He pondered a moment. “I guess right this second, it doesn’t.” He kissed her again, deeper this time, as his hands tightened at her waist. Gwen smiled through her reciprocation, only distracted and pulled away a bit as a few people walked past next to them, giggling at something. Her eyes went around to the rest of the bar and caught a few people staring at them, watching them. She felt her cheeks redden right as Blake placed a soft kiss on one, and her attention turned back to him. She averted her gaze.

“People are staring,” she whispered, feeling self conscious about it. Her eyes went up to him. “But I want to do that again.”

“My truck is outside,” he said, as his hands gently massaged at her hips. “We could find some privacy there.” She pushed up on her toes almost immediately, placing a quick kiss on his lips before whispering against them. “ _Take me there_.” His hand slid down her back and found one of hers, he reached for the bourbon and shot the rest of the drink back before leading her outside.

He climbed into the driver’s seat while Gwen climbed into the passenger seat. Their hands locked immediately on the center console as their eyes found one another again. It wasn’t weird or awkward, it was relaxed and natural - almost sensual, even though they weren’t even doing anything. Slowly, she squeezed his hand with one and trailed her opposite finger up his forearm and back down, causing him to flinch slightly at the contact. 

“I’ve never done this before,” she said, preoccupied with her own tracing. He hummed and her eyes went up to him to offer an explanation. “Kissed a stranger, I mean. I know that sounds stupid, but…”

“It’s not stupid,” he said gently. “That didn’t feel like…” he said and then stopped, letting the words drift as he tried to figure out how to word what he wanted to say without scaring her off. “I mean, that was…. _something’_.”

She moved forward then. He leaned back a bit when he realized she was climbing over the center console to get to him. Gwen settled into his lap, her knees and thighs holding onto his sides as her short dress hiked up against him. She draped her left arm around his neck and her right hand laid gently against his cheek before she slowly kissed him again. His hands were resting on her thighs and he tightened his grip as the kiss deepened. She let out a breath and she continued, finally able to feel something again. It had been such a long time since she was made to feel, and it was just so easy with him. 

“You’re so beautiful,” he whispered against her ear, his arms going around her body tighter. She felt her cheeks redden again as she pulled back a few inches to push her lips against his again with more force. Taking compliments wasn’t something she was used to, and generally she was bad at it. Mostly because she never believed them. 

“Have you ever done this before?” she asked, her dilated eyes looking up to him just as she pulled back.

He let out a soft chuckle. “Made out with a stranger in my truck? Can’t say that I have.” His hand caressed her cheek gently before pushing blonde locks behind her ear. “You’re makin’ this real hard, baby.”

“What am I making hard?” she murmured, her eyes gazing down into his lap as she brought her finger to trace over top of him in those jeans. It took all of his strength to not flinch at that as he kept himself focused, or at least tried. Her heated eyes came up to look at him with a shy, but wicked smile on her face. 

Blake groaned and his hands gripped her waist tight, willing himself to calm down. Gwen let out a soft laugh.

“Don’t start somethin’ because I’m not willin’ to finish,” he said softly. “But if you keep this up, I’m not going to be able to stop myself.” He kissed her then and her arms went back up around his neck, her body pressing into his. He kissed her again and she pulled back, pecking a quick kiss on his nose. 

“Sorry,” she whispered, before he took her lips again. 

“Let’s play a game,” he said suddenly. Gwen pulled back and raised an amused eyebrow at him, asking him to continue. “Since you won’t just come out and tell me about yourself, for every kiss you initiate, you share something about yourself. Same for me.”

Gwen hummed and settled back in his lap a bit, her eyes resting on his lips before locking back onto his again. A smile came across Blake’s face as they both chuckled quietly, not wanting to be the first to have to say anything. 

“You’re impossible,” he muttered, and having been away from her lips too long he pushed forward, initiating the first kiss. They both pulled back and Gwen looked at him, expectantly. 

“Sometimes I find drunk women in my yard and feel the need to take care of them.”

Gwen laughed. “Blake! That’s not fair. Because that’s literally one of the _only_ things I know about you.”

“One more thing than you know about me,” he quipped, but gave in. “Fine. I’m from Oklahoma originally. Small town you’ve never heard of, I promise.”

Gwen smiled and moved forward, feeling brave enough to initiate her first kiss. She broke it off to speak. “I’m from Anaheim. Lived in California my entire life.” She felt herself relax a bit. 

He kissed her again. “I have an older sister named Endy. She used to try and force me to play dress up with her when we were kids, and that usually didn’t go over too well,” he chuckled, but his tone turned serious. “Used to have a brother, too, but he’s not around anymore.”

“I’m sorry,” she murmured against his lips. She wasn’t certain if that meant he was estranged or perhaps not even alive, but it was too intrusive to ask. Instead, she kissed him again. “Older brother named Eric. Always managed to force me to sing for him while he played his instruments growing up, he wanted so badly to be in a band. Younger brother, Todd, and only sister, Jill. Mostly I’m the closest with Eric, though. I miss him.” She didn’t mean to admit the last part, but she did. 

Another kiss from him. “I’m terrified of bees. Bees, and pretty blondes. Those two things are the worst.” His admission caused Gwen to laugh as she feigned offense. 

“Excuse me, what did blondes ever do to you?” she asked, a shocked expression on her face. 

“They’ll break your heart. They’re dangerous.” He leaned forward and nibbled at her lip. He wasn’t even able to let her lip go before she was pressing hers against his again. 

“I like writing songs,” she admitted, and Blake’s eyes widened a bit. It was the first time they had gotten close to his territory, even though she was none the wiser. He knew almost certainly Gwen didn’t know who he was, she didn’t seem like the country music loving type, but that part of his life was always difficult when it came to people. Friends, romantic interests, anything - it just made it messy. He had been enjoying the partial anonymity for so long with her that he had almost forgotten. 

“What kind of songs?” he asked, instantly and obviously intrigued. 

“I don’t know. Love songs, I guess. They’re probably dumb and are going to stay in my notebook for the rest of my life.”

“Don’t talk down on yourself like that,” Blake said. “I haven’t read them, but I’m sure they’re not dumb. Songs are emotions, and what you feel isn’t stupid.”

He let his words sink in for a moment before kissing her again. “I play the guitar,” he said.

Gwen grinned. “Really? Like a real cowboy?”

Blake chuckled. “Something like that.” He paused. “You know, I know your siblings names and I don’t even know your name,” he pressed a little again, raising an eyebrow.

Gwen laughed. “Maybe later,” she said with a shrug. Honestly, she really was only concealing her name at that point because it was funny to her how crazy it was driving him. 

He took her in for a long, slow kiss this time - deeper than the rest, more passionate than most they had shared. His hands tightened around her and went up her back as he felt her body push into his, ragged breaths releasing to catch again. 

“I don’t even know you, but I haven’t felt like this in a long time,” he admitted. Instead of responding, Gwen kissed him deeply.

“I don’t even know you, and for some reason, all I can think about is kissing you.”

He let out a breath before he pulled her back to him again, kissing her a bit roughly, passionately. Their make out session intensified as Gwen braced her hands on the leather seats behind him as her body rocked into him harder. She was close to him, but not close enough - she wanted more. As if he had read her mind his arms tightened around her and she felt that suddenly secure feeling that goes along with that as they both pulled back to take a few breaths. Before he was even fully recovered, he felt her lips softly against his jawline. 

“I should go,” she whispered against his skin.

“What? Why?” Blake asked, nudging at her to sit up on top of him. 

“I don’t trust myself with you,” she quietly admitted. “If we keep going…I’ll want to do more and…and then if you don’t want to, well, I’m not sure if I could handle rejection from you twice, Blake.” She gave him a soft smile as she shook her head. 

“Honey,” he said, letting out a breath. “ _Christ_ , I mean, the things I have already _thought_ of doing to you…” he shook his head and forced himself to exhale again. “I just don’t want to scare you off. Take it a little slower, yeah? Probably finding out your name first would be a good idea, too.” He offered her a sheepish grin. 

“You just won’t let go of that,” she giggled. She leaned forward and pecked a kiss on his cheek. “Mmm. Maybe next time, cowboy.” And with that, she reached over and opened the driver side door, pushing it open as she moved out of his lap to stand on the ground next to the truck. Her eyes were locked on his as he turned slightly towards her, placing a kiss on her forehead. 

“Can I see you again?” he asked. 

“You have my number,” she said with a soft grin, her finger trailing against his leg just before she walked off, leaving him alone in his truck, still hot and bothered by the mystery of it all. 

He let out a breath, as his head fell back against the leather headrest. Those blondes were certainly dangerous, that was for sure.


	4. Revelation

She really didn’t know why she was so nervous. 

Surely, these types of meetings were normal for new students, and somehow she would have to meet her individual advisor, but college was still so new to her, overwhelming at best, that something else new on top of everything that had happened this past week made her nerves sky high. She knew it would calm down and settle eventually, she just didn’t see that end in sight yet. She had to remind herself to breathe, to get through the rest of these first few weeks, and then she would be fine. 

Still using a campus map on her phone, Gwen found the music building and let herself inside, climbing the stairs to the third floor as she walked the halls, searching for a specific office. She was quite early, mostly because she was scared of being late, as her eyes settled upon the three digits she was looking for - _322, B. Shelton_. She walked up to the door frame and peered inside, the door wide open as she didn’t see anyone and she hesitated. She lingered for a few moments before stepping fully into the office, settling in one of the chairs as she waited, her hands clenched tightly on her notebook as a calming mechanism. 

Blake was hurrying through the campus, coffee in one hand and a stack of folders in the other, heading back to his office because he knew he had an advising appointment set in five minutes. He made the mistake of timing the distance it would take to recaffeinate between appointments, and he was just thankful that if he was a few minutes late, it was the last one of the day so maybe the student would be able to stay a few extra minutes if needed. Or if not, they’d be working together a lot over the coming weeks and he was sure it would all work out in the end but just - _ugh_. He hated being late. 

He made it to the doorframe of his office and stopped dead in his tracks. Caught somewhere in his throat were rushed apologies about how sorry he was that he was a few minutes late, My name is Blake Shelton and it’s nice to meet you, I’m excited to be working with you and just - no.

This can’t be happening. 

He knew that blonde hair. 

Blake could have dropped the coffee cup in his hand but somehow managed to tighten his grip to prevent that from happening. He forced his eyes down to the top folder he was holding and read the name on it - _Stefani, Gwen_. 

“So…your name is Gwen,” he managed, almost hoarsely, as Gwen heard his voice and her body tensed before turning her attention behind and towards him. He gently closed the door as he stepped inside the door frame. Her eyes widened in fear as she watched Blake take a few more steps into the room, coming around her and setting his files and coffee on his desk, his eyes in disbelief and not moving away from her. His eyes felt like lasers against her skin. She felt tears start to prick in her eyes as she felt her life starting to get out of control. 

“No, this can’t…” she said, shaking her head and casting her eyes downwards, away from him. She swallowed hard. She felt sick, she was angry, she had a host of other emotions creeping up and overwhelming her and one thing was clear - she had to get out of there. Her eyes went back to him. “I have to go.”

She abruptly stood up and grabbed her shoulder bag and began making a beeline for the exit.

“Go? Wait, Gwen, no…please…stay…we can…” Blake let out a huff, his feet carrying himself quickly towards her as he beat her to the door and was now standing between her and it. He watched her take a deep inhaling breath as she wouldn’t make eye contact with him. “Hey,” he said softly, suddenly realizing he was really close to her, having the urge to just reach out and hold her because she was upset, but he was conflicted. “Hey, we didn’t know…we haven’t even seen each other that much, right?”

Suddenly, she went from upset to offended. 

“Wow, so what is that supposed to mean? Are you trying to say that you didn’t even feel anything? Nothing at all?”

“No, honey…” he shut his eyes in defeat, not meaning to let the pet name slip, but decided in the moment to just try and move past it. “I just meant that we just started getting to know one another. We didn’t know this…” he let his words drift.

“So if you had known it would have stopped,” she said. 

“I…” Blake’s hands ran through his hair, resting eventually on the back of his neck. “Don’t ask me that.”

“Please, let me go,” she whispered, her eyes shutting hard. She felt embarrassed, she didn’t feel wanted and that was the worst feeling. They had fit so well together, and the way he was looking at her now was seriously about to kill her. “Please,” she added again, hoping it would persuade him. She inhaled sharply as he stepped aside, allowing her access to the door. The moment she saw the handle she moved forward for it, quickly letting herself out of his office and rushing down the hall, away from him. She felt his eyes on her back as he watched her leave, making her bite her lip even harder as she tried to process all of this. 

——

She didn’t want to go home. Nothing appealed to her as a distraction. She spent the rest of the afternoon aimlessly wandering campus, eventually settling on the promenade with her phone in front of her eyes as she took a breath, bringing up google. She had debated for the past hour whether or not she should do this, but the final answer was that she had to. She had to figure out who he was. It would not help her process, get over, or help her through any of this, but she just had to know. 

She plugged his name into google and her eyes widened at the search results. Multiple albums, music videos, tabloid articles…god, how famous was this guy? He looked like a country music superstar, and suddenly she felt even more starstruck than before. She started clicking through some of them, trying to figure out more about him and she just fell deeper into the rabbit hole. She found an article about a nasty divorce he went through with someone else in the country music industry which made her wonder. She found other articles about him on a TV show called _The Voice_ , and full track listings of all of his albums. Gwen couldn’t put two and two together on her own about how and why he ended up here as an advisor helping students, there weren’t any articles about that, and it was frustrating. She realized she would ever only find those answers out if they came from Blake himself, but she couldn’t do that. She couldn’t ask that. The way he had looked at her in his office made her feel like he wanted nothing to do with her, and that put her back at square one in so many ways. 

Gwen felt a nudge at her knee and her body jolted, startled, as she looked up from her phone to see Betty in front of her. Her heart started pounding in her chest as she looked around the promenade, which was mostly empty, expecting to see Blake - but she didn’t. Betty nudged her again and Gwen set her phone down and moved forward to scratch behind her ears. A moment later, Betty jumped up on the bench with Gwen, laying her head on Gwen’s lap as she laid on her back, causing Gwen to smile and laugh a little as her hands rubbed her belly. 

“What are you doing all the way out here, sweet girl?” she asked, her eyes scanning the promenade again, not totally convinced that Blake wasn’t nearby. She still came up empty. She rubbed Betty again before reaching over for her phone, pulling up his contact. She let out a breath.

_Hey, I’m sorry I’m texting you, but, are you missing Betty? Gx_

Immediately, a reply came.

_Yes! I’ve been looking for her for two hours now, she got out. Do you know where she is? -B_

_She found me, she’s here. I’m on the promenade. Gx_

_That’s just a few blocks from my house. -B_

_I’ll walk her over. What’s your address? Gx_

She instantly regretted sending that last text as her stomach flipped. It wasn’t a good idea to go to his house. To be alone with him again. When she saw him, all she wanted to do was run her hands through his hair and kiss him as his hands gripped tightly around her and… _damn it_. She hated everything about this situation, but the thing she hated most was that she had to suddenly find restraint. Even though they had barely spent a lot of time together, it was more than enough for her to crave more. 

The next text came through as she got his address and plugged it into her phone, finding it was only a six minute walk. She patted Betty to stand up with her and she started walking, the dog effortlessly trailing right next to her wherever she went. 

She was in front of his house now. The house she still had fresh, recent memories in that suddenly stung a bit as she walked up the stairs to his house, forcing herself to knock. She heard a few strides towards the door before it opened.

“Crazy dog,” Blake muttered, opening the door as he whistled for her to get inside. Betty went running off into the living room and Blake’s eyes went up to Gwen. “Hey, thank you. You have no idea what it means to me that you brought her back. I…she’s one of the only things I have left in the world that matters to me,” he admitted lowly, letting out a sigh. 

“It’s no problem. I’m glad she’s okay,” Gwen said. “Goodbye, Bl—“ she stopped herself, not knowing if she should be calling him by his first name. Instead, she played it safe. “Just, goodbye.” She took a step to turn and leave, but his hand came to rest over her arm, holding her back. 

“Can we talk? Please?” he asked.

There was a long silence. His hand was burning into her skin and something was stirring deep within her but she had to restrain herself. This whole thing was frustrating. “Okay,” she said quietly, turning back to face him. He stepped aside to let her in, closing the door behind them. 

They both walked over to the couch and sat down next to one another. It was weird and awkward, considering they were fondling only a short while ago, and now they were sitting with their knees at least ten inches apart with no contact. That didn’t last long, though, as his hand came over one of hers and squeezed it.

“I don’t want you to be upset, first of all. Why are you upset?”

Her eyes went to his. “Blake,” she said in disbelief. “I can’t…I _saw_ the way you looked at me. You don’t want anything to do with me anymore and I just…I’m allowed to be upset about that.”

“I didn’t mean to look at you that way,” he said. “I’m just in shock. I don’t…I don’t know what to do here, Gwen. I really don’t.”

Silence followed. She felt a twinge of hope from his last statement, but she was trying to refocus on something else.

“Why are you working here, anyways? You seem to have a pretty big career, or at least that’s what google said.”

He let out a small chuckle. “You googled me?”

“Not the point,” she almost whined in frustration. His hand was still holding hers and that was just making all of this so much more difficult, but she couldn’t pull it away. 

“I just…I needed a break from it,” he started. “I had a lot happen in my personal life and I just thought maybe I needed to get out of the spotlight and the album-tour cycle for a while. I’m good friends with the head of the program here and he asked me to come work and help advise students as something new, and I took it. Kind of like _The Voice_ , but with a lot less cameras and spotlight.”

“Your divorce,” she whispered quietly. 

“Uhm…yeah, my divorce.”

“I’m sorry about that. It’s hard enough to go through one I’m sure and you had the added burden of the tabloids. That can’t be easy.”

“Some things you get used to.”

Her eyes went up to him again. “What are we supposed to do from here?”

“I don’t know,” he said, defeated. “I just…” he began, slowly moving towards her, knees touching, then slowly moving his arm around her back and tugging at her a bit to come to him. Her head fell against his shoulder and she let out a breath. “I can’t…not…”

Gwen gritted her teeth together. “I can’t think straight when you touch me.” Painfully, she tugged herself away from him, creating the distance between them again. 

“Advisors can’t date students,” he muttered quietly, his gaze falling to his lap. 

Those words hit her like a dagger in the heart all over again. 

“So it never happened. Nothing happened. And it sounds like that’s the only way it can be,” she said, standing up. He stood up behind her, reaching to the table to grab a folder, and he handed it to her. 

“Just look it over. It’s a schedule for the semester. If you have any questions, we can talk about it tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow?”

“Our first studio time is booked for 4:00. Details on the schedule.”

She let out a breath again as she nodded, making her way to the door, making her way out of the house, down the road, and out of view. No matter how far she got physically, nothing was helping her screwed up mental state.


	5. Studio Sessions

She didn’t sleep that night.

There was just something that was keeping her up, something she couldn’t quite put her finger on. Of course, she knew she was bothered over everything that had landed in her lap that day, but she felt as if she was going crazy. She had only known this guy for a short amount of time and now that she felt she couldn’t have him, she didn’t realize before how badly she wanted him. What was killing her was that she didn’t know _why_ she wanted him so bad. He was obviously gorgeous and kind, and that unexplainable sexual chemistry was pretty much off the charts and suffocated every room they were in. 

Gwen went about the next day as best as she could - large coffee in the morning, a few meetings here and there. Classes hadn’t fully started yet and she was just enjoying the time to breathe. To try and get over things in her mind.

It didn’t help that the one thing she was trying to push out of her mind happened to be her four o’clock. 

She pushed the door open to the small sound booth studio once she found it and her eyes fell on Blake immediately, causing her stomach to feel nauseous. He was sitting in the corner, feet propped up as he hit a few strums on his guitar, his eyes catching to her, but he didn’t stop immediately. She hesitated, and once she realized she had stopped she forced herself to turn and close the door behind her. She heard the guitar stop.

“Hey there,” Blake said.

“Hi,” was all she said, as she turned back around to face him. The tension in the air was obvious. 

“I’m glad you came.”

“Did I have a choice?” Her voice was almost a whisper.

“Well…I guess not,” he offered a small smile and cast his eyes away from her, standing to set his guitar on a stand. Gwen’s eyes travelled around the room, taking in the surroundings of the small area. Her eyes roamed over all of the controls she didn’t understand and the microphone in the other room. They came back to Blake.

“Are we alone?” she asked. 

“Yeah, uhm, it’s just us, that’s how our meetings will normally be,” he explained. “But, since this is the first one, I wanted to show you around in here, and also get some vocals recorded to see where we’re starting.”

It only hit her then that she’d actually have to _sing_ for him that day. She swallowed hard. 

“Is…that okay?” he asked.

“Fine,” she said, with a swift nod. 

“Okay then,” he said, taking a careful step forward and motioning over to the controls. “Have you ever been in a studio like this before?”

“No, it looks complicated.”

He gave her a small smile. “It doesn’t take long to get the hang of the controls. Volume, effects, lights, tuning, you’ve just got to play with it until you get it right. But, you don’t need to worry about any of this stuff, you’re here to sing.” Blake came up behind her and gently placed a hand on her back, trying to lead her back towards the door to let them into the microphone booth. Her body tensed when she felt his hand against her, her breathing shallowed, and he must have realized as he tucked his hand away just before opening the door for her. She walked through and he was behind her, and even though he wasn’t touching her, she felt his eyes burning and watching her closely. Blake patted the stool next to the microphone with his hand, which caught her attention and she turned around.

“Have a seat,” he said. She walked forward and sat on the stool, facing him as he stood in front of her. Blake reached over behind her and leaned over her slightly, close enough that she inhaled the cologne on his skin, close enough all she had to do was reach up and touch, but she didn’t. Instead, she shifted uncomfortably, her dilated eyes coming to his once he stood up again fully. He gently placed a set of earphones on her head, her hand reaching up to hold and adjust once she felt them. 

“When we’re recording, you’ll hear just the music in these,” he explained. “But I don’t think we’re going to work with music today, I just want you to sing without it. It’s the best way for me to hear your voice.”

“You just want me to sing? Without music?” she asked, almost alarmed. _Jesus Christ, why was he making this so hard._

He noticed she suddenly got nervous, which sent him into trying to do damage control. “Hey, it’s just the first day. You don’t need to be nervous about singing. I’m just here to help you get better. I’m not here to judge you, Gwen.”

_You’re also not here to kiss me, either, it seems._

“Come on, let’s give it a try,” he said, breaking the silence and heading for the door.

“Hey wait, hold on, what do you want me to do?”

“Sing. You’ll do fine.”

“Sing _what_?”

“Anything you want.”

“But Blake —“ the door shut behind him and a few minutes later he was walking out in front of the controls, looking at her in the studio. She shot him a shell shocked look, waiting for his direction.

His voice came over the microphone. “Just take a minute, pick any song that’s on your mind and just go for it.”

She exhaled. She had to force her eyes away from him as she turned in the chair, facing the microphone. Gwen knew he was watching her intently, which just made it harder to think. Her mind cleared and only one was standing out to her, and she inhaled sharply before letting out her breath. 

“Okay,” she said, taking another minute. She shut her eyes, finding the courage to begin the lyrics.

_You shout it out_  
_But I can't hear a word you say_  
_I'm talking loud not saying much_  
_I'm criticized but all your bullets ricochet_  
_You shoot me down, but I get up_

_I'm bulletproof nothing to lose_  
_Fire away, fire away_  
_Ricochet, you take your aim_  
_Fire away, fire away_  
_You shoot me down but I won't fall, I am titanium_  
_You shoot me down but I won't fall_  
_I am titaniu——_

Her voice broke suddenly and unexpectedly as she dropped the verse, the strain embarrassing her as she felt her body tense and her cheeks redden. 

“That was a good start, shake it off. Start again,” Blake encouraged her over the microphone. Gwen shot a look over to him for a few exaggerated moments before turning back to focus on the microphone. 

_I’m bulletproof nothing to lose_  
_Fire away, fire away_  
_Ricochet, you take your aim_  
_Fire away, fire away_  
_You shoot be down but I won’t fall, I am…._

Gwen stopped immediately, not even trying to hit the note she screwed up as her face went into her hands. She picked it up mid-verse, but butchered it even more as her voice strained again to hit the note, messing up a third time. She was waiting for Blake to say something over the microphone, even though she didn’t want to hear anything from him at that point as she just couldn’t believe she was this bad today. She was off, she was distracted, she knew this, but damn it, she had never had a problem with this song before, why now?

Her attention drew up as she heard the door opening. Blake took the few steps between them to close the distance, placing his hands on her shoulders, making her look at him.

“You’re psyching yourself out. Take a deep breath. Relax. You’re frustrated, I can tell, and you’re not going to get anywhere when you’re frustrated.”

“I’m not this bad,” she said shaking her head, looking down into her lap. 

“Hey, I said first day had no judgements,” he reminded her. 

Her eyes looked up to his as she inhaled, and he realized she was starting to get upset as he saw the water forming in her eyes. Her gaze held his in this look of longing, uncertainty. Blake’s hands were still on her shoulders and he squeezed them a bit, trying to reassure her.

“Blake, I don’t know how to work with you like this,” she admitted quietly. “I have to go.” Abruptly, she pulled away from him and exited the studio before Blake even fully realized what was happening.

——

Gwen was happy that she had a four day reprieve from seeing him. In that time, she could refocus, start some of her other classes, maybe go out with Behati and not get into too much trouble. She could remember why she was here, she could start to move past this.

What actually ended up happening, despite her best efforts, was that she fell deeper in her mind as all she could think about was Blake.

When she sat on campus, she’d wonder if she would catch a glimpse of him walking by. When grabbing lunch with Behati, she wondered if he might accidentally sit at the table next to them. Part of her at one point even wanted to purposefully hang out in the music building so that he’d walk by, that he’d have to face her, because if she was going this crazy, she wanted him to be, too. She knew she was losing her mind, she felt it, but she didn’t know how to stop it. His touch had brought her back to life, and that feeling disappeared the moment he started looking at her differently. She guessed he had to. But that didn’t make it okay to her.

She had no idea how she was going to get through another studio session with him. Even though she had four days to get over it, she still wasn’t. She had really butchered that song multiple times and Blake was probably wondering how and why she was even in this program to begin with. She waited as long as she could before walking to the music building, letting herself inside with tense nerves plaguing her thoughts. She found the same small studio and slipped inside, her eyes resting on Blake in the back corner.

She had a flashback to the night at the bar. He was standing there at present, holding a water bottle and he sipped on it as their eyes locked, just as they had before. It was a magnet that pulled her forward, no other force could have explained it. She heard the door close behind her. She was standing in front of him now. A few silent, still moments that felt like an eternity, and before she realized what was happening, his arms were forcefully around her, his lips pressing hard into hers.

Gwen gasped slightly at the shock as her arms went up around his neck, bracing herself as he turned her around and pressed her back up against the wall. His hands drew up her body and he continued kissing her deeply, showing no signs of stopping in those moments. All thoughts in Gwen’s head previously had vanished as her body rocked against him, deepening the kisses, holding onto him tighter. He was like oxygen to her after all of this time, and it took her way too late to realize that they shouldn’t be doing this. She let herself get carried away and when she came to her senses, she pulled back, her hands braced against his chest, holding him just away from her lips.

Her eyes were wide. His eyes were wide. His hands were burning as they gripped her hips, and they stared at each other in silence. She must have forgotten to breathe as she suddenly let out a huge exhale, her eyes not leaving his.

“Gwen, I…I’m so sorry I just…I couldn’t stop, I can’t stop thinking about you,” his voice came desperately, and something hit her in her core. 

“You can’t just kiss me when you want and then apologize and say it was a mistake,” she forced out.

“I’m _not_ sayin’ that was a mistake…” he corrected. Her shocked face was an understatement. “I’m sayin’…this past week I can’t stay away from you. I don’t want to stay away from you, and,” he shook his head and sighed. “I didn’t mean for this to happen but it did and now I can’t stop it. I mean, unless you hate me. You probably hate me now and if you do, I get it, I just…”

“Blake, I don’t hate you,” she said softly, cutting him off. She saw the hope come back into his eyes at her words. “How could you think that?”

He furrowed his brow as his hand reached out to rest on her cheek, and she let him. She let out a breath as their eyes locked again. Something about this felt dangerous, and she had to admit it was giving her a high she never knew she needed. 

“Just wanted to make sure,” he said with a small smile. 

She pressed up on her toes, tugging him by the shirt towards her and she planted a kiss of her own on his lips. His tongue brushed hers as he deepened it, his hands falling to her sides and tightening around her, and for the first time, she started to feel herself relaxing. 

“Come over tonight,” Blake said next. “I’ll cook us some dinner, we can watch a movie. Betty misses you, anyways.”

“Blake…” she said, closing her eyes. “We shouldn’t do this…you could get into trouble, couldn’t you?”

“I’m not thinkin’ about that right now,” he said. “I have to know.”

Gwen still didn’t seem too convinced. Blake brought his hand up and gently stroked back her hair. “Hey, take that off your plate, you don’t have to worry about that, okay? Just come over for dinner, at least give it a chance before shutting it down.”

“Dinner,” she repeated, her eyes falling to his chest as her nails scratched him a little there, before she let her eyes go back up to him. “Okay."


	6. Fire & Ice

Gwen didn’t even remember the rest of the day.

They spent longer than they should have making up for lost time, their tongues battling for dominance in the dark corner of the deserted sound booth as his hands explored her body, pressed up against the wall. She wasn’t sure how they eventually pulled away and settled, but she did remember the air of the room drastically changing in an instant. It was as if they couldn’t stop touching each other. Any opportunity they would brush, squeeze, or draw near as they spoke about music and other topics before she headed back to make a few recordings. Their eyes could have burned the glass between them as she sang, hitting the notes she needed to each time. It was a wonder she even tore herself away from him to leave, even though the promise of seeing him later still hung in the air. 

Before she knew it she was standing on his doorstep. She was wearing a short, tight, and flared red dress that showed off her long legs with her long blonde hair worn down, a look that she agonized over for far too long. The way his eyes fell on her when he opened the door, however, told her immediately it was all worth it.

“Whoa,” he said, letting out a breath. “I mean, uh, hi, hi, that’s what I meant.” He offered a sheepish smile as Gwen giggled. He moved to the side a bit to let her into the house, closing the door behind them and locking it. 

“Hi, cowboy,” she said, moving forward to give him a hug. She inhaled his scent again, one she spent all afternoon trying to memorize before letting go. His hand came around her back as he led her into the house. Betty stopped them, though, as she came running up at the sight of Gwen, her two front paws coming up and resting against Gwen’s stomach. 

“And hi, pretty girl!” she said in a cute voice, grinning down at the dog as she rubbed behind her ears. Betty took in every moment of the attention Gwen was giving her and Blake just watched the two of them with a smile. Betty moved off of Gwen and started trotting towards the kitchen, and Gwen straightened her posture back up and looked to Blake. She bit her lip as their eyes locked and she smiled, and she was thankful for the dimmed hallway as she felt her cheeks start to flush. She soon came back to reality, though, and moved to take a few more steps forward, continuing to walk back to where she knew the living room was. Blake moved up behind her.

“So, uh, I hope you like Italian,” he said with a smile. “And wine, I have wine…and there’s a lot of movies we can watch, whatever you want to pick.” He felt himself getting nervous, and he wasn’t entirely sure why, and usually when this happened, he started smiling a lot. He could feel it, the frequent smiles creeping up on his features, and she probably must have thought he was deranged or something. Gwen took notice that he seemed to be a little on edge and moved forward, closing the distance between them. She slid her arms around his waist and let her head lay against his chest.

“I’m nervous, too,” she admitted to him, and almost instantly she felt him relax as his arms came around her as well. He rubbed up and down her back a bit and just enjoyed holding her in those moments. 

“Oh, good, I thought I was the only one,” he tried deflecting with humor, but it wasn’t fully convincing. 

She pulled her head up to turn her attention towards him. “If you changed your mind…”

“No, Gwen, that isn’t it. That’s not it at all.” His hand rested on her cheek. “I just can’t believe I convinced someone like you to go on a date with me.”

“Someone like me?” she let out a chuckle. “What do you mean?”

“I just mean that…I mean, you’re kind of intimidatingly beautiful and smart and I’ve got no idea what you see in me,” he offered with a shrug.

“Well, you’ve got a pretty cute dog,” she said with a smirk. “Also, I’m hungry and you said you were going to feed me, so that’s always a plus.” She chuckled a little and let go of his waist, her hands taking his. Blake smiled and laughed too.

“Yes, I will definitely feed you tonight,” he said, squeezing her hands before letting them go. He walked to the kitchen and prepared two bowls of pesto ravioli and brought them back to the living room, where Gwen had already sat down on the couch. She smiled and took the bowls from him while he went back to get their wine. Betty jumped up on the couch and curled up next to Gwen and soon, the three of them were settled in. 

Her fork pierced one of the raviolis and she brought it to her mouth, taking a bite. Her eyes lit up and she grinned a bit as she chewed. 

“Is it alright?” he asked, his eyes intently watching her.

She swallowed. “Blake this is so yummy!” she exclaimed. “Come on, you’re talented and you can cook, how do you not have a girlfriend?” 

The question seemed to sting him a little and when Gwen realized it, her eyes widened and she broke their eye contact. She immediately thought about his divorce, and she could tell he probably went there too, and she felt bad. “Wow just kidding, ignore me, that was really stupid, I’m sorry.”

Blake took another bite of his pasta and leaned forward a bit to set it on the coffee table. His hand came up to rest on her leg, which drew her attention up towards him. “S’okay,” he said, offering her a small smile when their eyes met. “Divorce is hard, and I’m over her, I just needed time, you know? It’s hard to let yourself get close to someone after that.” He paused, as he watched her eat another bite of dinner. “What about you, Gwen?”

“What about me?” she asked. 

“Have you ever been in love?”

She didn’t mean to inhale sharply, but she did. Gwen was a little taken aback by the straightforward question, and she realized nobody had really asked her that before. She swallowed another bite and followed suit by leaning forward to place her bowl next to his on the table.

“I’m sorry, was that too…”

“No, Blake, it’s fine,” she said, turning her body towards his and tucking her feet under herself. She offered him a small smile and shrug. “I thought so, once. It was all really intense. Not necessarily the love was intense, but _he_ was intense, there was a lot of back and forth, friction. It always just seemed hard with him, and that’s because it was.” She paused and let out a breath. “He told me when we broke up that I was the stupidest girl on this planet, that I’d never make it. That I’d never get to do anything meaningful with music. I took some time off. Thought about it a lot, applied here, and got in.”

“We haven’t worked together that long, but Gwen, your voice that I heard today is _phenomenal_ ,” he breathed. “Don’t ever let anyone tell you that you can’t do something. Because if you listen to them, you won’t get anywhere. I wouldn’t have gotten anywhere.”

“I mean, I’m not delusional, I know it’s a long shot,” she said with a shrug. “But I can’t not do music, it’s an addiction. Is that weird?” She scrunched her nose a bit as she looked to him for approval. 

“No, babe, it’s not weird,” he said. “It’s relatable.”

“I’ve never felt like this with anyone,” she said in almost a whisper. “Nobody has ever understood that about my music. I’m glad you do.” They shared a smile with one another for a moment before Gwen felt brave and moved forward between his legs, crawling into his lap to lay against him. She let her head fall against his chest, her arms draped loosely around his midsection as she cuddled into him and relaxed. Blake adjusted them slightly and his arms went around her as he laid back on the couch, his hand stroking through her hair.

They stayed like that for the longest time - bodies tangled with one another, a content and comfortable feeling lingering in the air as they relaxed after a long week. Blake kissed the top of her head and she turned up to look at him in the next moment. A minute later he moved forward and took her lips with his.

Gwen inhaled as she kissed him back, gently moving up closer against him as her arms snaked around his neck. The kisses started out as soft and sweet and soon began picking up steam and intensity. For leverage, Gwen moved up on him more and straddled his lap, her knees resting on each side of his thighs as she pushed up into him closer, kissing him more. His arms tugged tighter around her waist and in one swift motion he pressed them up and took Gwen back, laying her down on the couch as he lowered himself on top of her, in between her legs. She readjusted herself and tugged at his shirt, which he soon discarded nearby. She ran her nails down his back and he let out a soft moan of approval, his lips finding hers again as his hands found her waist. 

Her hands went into his curls and she massaged his scalp through her accompanying kisses, her legs tightening around his midsection as he came down against her a bit harder. She felt his lips go to her neck and she let out a breath, trying to catch it, as she concentrated on how good he was making her feel. Her hand rested against the back of his head as his lips went lower, kissing the top of her breast. Blake pulled back slightly and looked up to Gwen for permission and she nodded, biting her lip. Slowly, Blake tugged the sleeves of her dress down her arms, and Gwen pulled out of them as the fabric pushed down to her hips. He kissed her again roughly before sliding his hands behind her back, tugging at the clasp of her bra and releasing it, discarding it to the side.

“Are you okay?” he whispered in her ear softly.

She nodded. “Mmhmm,” she responded. 

“Just tell me if you want to stop, okay?”

Instead of responding she moved forward and took his lips with hers, her arms tightening around him as she kissed him deeply. Blake kissed her back, gradually trailing his lips down along her jawline, to her neck, and down her chest. Her hands gripped his biceps as he continued down, soon taking one of her breasts into his mouth to tease it.

Gwen’s body tensed as pleasure surged through her body, reacting by pushing up into him closer. He continued to swirl his tongue around her nipple and let his other hand fall down her side, caressing gently. She squirmed and almost squealed as his fingers brushed so lightly against her ribs, feeling ticklish there as she gripped onto him even tighter. Blake let out a chuckle in the back of his throat as he continued, Gwen could feel the vibrations against her stomach. Blake left her breast and came up to kiss her lips briefly.

“Ticklish, I see,” he mumbled with a smile. Gwen shook her head, disagreeing with him, even though she couldn’t hide her flushed cheeks or the small, anticipatory smile on her face. He raised an eyebrow at her and mimicked his earlier graze of his fingers against her ribs, and she couldn’t help but jolt and let out a laugh.

“ _Blake_ ,” she whined, but he didn’t give her enough time to even pout before he chuckled and kissed her again. His hands gripped her sides as he moved to take the other breast into his mouth, swirling his tongue as all she could think about was how much that small movement alone was enough to end her. 

She tugged at him, wanting him again and he obliged, moving back fully on top of her, pinning her to the couch as his hand moved to take her cheek and kiss her deeply. Gwen’s hands moved down and rested against his ass, pulling him into her closer as her thighs clenched to him. He was starting to grind against her and kiss her more intensely. She got lost in it momentarily but soon felt her body tense a bit as she slowed her movements. Blake took notice and did the same, his eyes meeting hers as he gave her a questioning look.

“Please don’t be mad,” she said suddenly.

Blake was only more confused now as he stopped planting kisses against her neck, and settled against her. She looked worried about something suddenly, and he didn’t like that vibe. His hand gently caressed her blonde locks back and he felt her take a deep breath under him. She knew he was waiting for her to explain herself, but she had to find the courage to actually come out with it. 

Her eyes went to the ceiling before they closed. “I…don’t want to have sex tonight,” she whispered, barely audible. The truth was that she actually did want to, but her lack of experience and nerves were winning out. She didn’t want to scare him off, but she didn’t know if she was ready for it, either. 

Blake moved forward and kissed her forehead, causing her eyes to open, that look of hope resting there before he spoke. “Why would I be mad about that?” he asked, letting his head rest against her shoulder as he buried against her neck and relaxed, his arms resting around her. “I just want to spend time with you, Gwen, and I want you to be comfortable. We don’t have to go there.”

He felt her body relax underneath him and he took the opportunity to peck a kiss against her neck, before reaching up to kiss her again. He slowly repositioned them so that he was now underneath her, and they continued to share soft, delicate kisses, letting the heat cool down from earlier. She curled up against him in the spooning position, his arm draping over her midsection, his lips trailing along her jawline. He noticed a few goosebumps on her arms and he reached up to the top of the couch, tugging a large quilt over both of them to keep her warm.

“Thank you,” she murmured. 

“Do you want to watch a movie?” he asked.

“I just want to lay here with you. That okay?”

He kissed the top of her head. “More than okay, darlin’."


	7. Honesty

She remembered him waking her somewhere in the middle of the night.

She remembered the feather soft kisses against her skin, her neck, as he soothed her slightly conscious. The whispered words in her ear encouraging her to stay the night, no pressure, no strings. Gwen was entirely too tired to fight or even think about going home, and she let him lead her upstairs to the bedroom. She let him tuck her under the covers before her body drew close to his after he followed suit, settling half on top of him and curling up to him in such an endearing way. A way that he never wanted to forget. There was an innocence about Gwen that intrigued him, it had ever since he first laid eyes on her, accompanied with this strange and sudden need he felt to protect her from the world. It was moments like these where it really hit his core, holding her like this against him as he watched her immediately drift back into slumber. 

The details of the middle of the night were foggy as her eyes opened sleepily, her arms tightening around his midsection as she cuddled into him again. “Blake,” she mumbled quietly, wondering if he was awake.

“Mornin’, sweetheart,” he said, stroking the back of her head to let her know he was awake. 

“I’m sorry I fell asleep,” she mumbled again. “I didn’t mean to stay and intrude.”

“I’m not sorry,” he responded. “And you’re not intruding. Betty likes having you here, anyways.”

Gwen’s head shifted up a bit to look at him, only one of her eyes opening to meet his. “ _Just_ Betty, hmm?”

He grinned back at her and chuckled. “I was joking. We both love you here.”

She offered a small smile before she closed her eyes and her head settled back against him. A few moments later, she spoke again. “I don’t wanna move at all today. You kept me up all night.”

“Me?!” he gasped, pretending to be shocked that she was blaming all of this on him. “I did no such thing. You didn’t want to go to sleep.” He said the last few words through gritted teeth as he slipped his hand down her side again, finding the spot on her ribs that he had found the night before and brushed across it with his fingertips teasingly.

Gwen let out something between a groan and a squeal as her body jolted closer to him, one of her hands clenching at his shirt. “Noooo…” she said, with a laugh, unable to help herself. “That’s so mean, I’m not even awake yet.”

“It’s just too cute to resist,” he said with a low chuckle. Gwen kept her eyes closed but made a disapproving face. 

Silence fell between them for a few minutes as they lounged lazily in bed together. Gwen sighed a bit and suddenly began to sit up, which prompted Blake to do the same, giving her a curious look. She slid her leg across his lap and settled into his lap, facing him. She didn’t say anything at first; she just kept her palms flat against his chest, scratching her nails there gently out of habit as she pondered. Her eyes went to his when she felt his hands slide up her back, tugging her a bit closer to him. 

“Are you sure you want to do this?” she asked softly. “I mean, I know we said we would talk about this last night and…that didn’t happen…I’m not complaining about what _did_ happen, it’s just…” she shrugged a bit, feeling unsure of herself as she broached the subject. 

“There’s nothing I’ve wanted more in a very, _very_ , long time,” he responded, letting out a breath. 

“But like, what do you want?” she asked. “I know that it’s an unfair question, I mean we haven’t known each other for long, but is this like a quick thing, a date thing…?” She felt and probably came across as so uncomfortable in those moments, but she knew deep down she had to force the inquiry out. She had to know what to prepare for. 

“It’s not just a quick thing,” he said definitively. “I know this is complicated, it probably will be for a while, but I have to see where this goes. I want to date you, properly. No games. Just honesty.”

One of Blake’s hands went to her cheek and she leaned into it, her features lighting up with a smile as she closed her eyes.

“We have to sneak around,” she said quietly. “People can’t know. Blake, you’d get in so much trouble, not to mention the media, and…”

She was cut off from the start of her panicked rambling as his lips pressed into hers, kissing her deeply. The kiss broke off, and she looked at him with a raised eyebrow.

“You can’t just kiss away my worries,” she said, pointedly.

“Watch me,” he said without hesitation, and the next moment his tongue slid into her mouth, kissing her deeply once more as his hands tightened to hold onto her hips. They parted for a moment to inhale, before she moved forward with her hands at his neck to kiss him again.

“Blake,” she said, letting out a breath. “This is serious, though, you know that?”

“I understand,” he said, pecking a kiss on top of her forehead. “But I’m not going to worry about something that hasn’t happened. Not when I have a really hot blonde sitting in my lap. Kind of ruins the moment.” He paused, before continuing. “You know…sneaking around could be fun…”

Her interest was piqued. “What did you have in mind?”

“Sneaking around in the studio…my office…classrooms…closets…anywhere you want, Gwen.”

Gwen laughed a little. “You’ve obviously been thinking about this.” She paused to consider. “I just…I worry about getting caught. And also about not being able to tell anyone about you, that sucks.”

“I’m not going to be your teacher forever, babe,” he replied. “And if this ends up working out that long, we’ll figure out what to do after that. Okay? Don’t stress.”

She nodded a bit as a response to him, but he knew she wasn’t at that point yet. His hands gripped tighter at her hips and he shook her a little bit, causing her to laugh again. “Don’t stress,” he repeated, with a grin. She kissed him again, settling back against him. 

“Are you hungry?” he asked a few minutes later. 

“Mmm…I don’t wanna move,” she responded. 

“Would you eat if I brought you waffles in bed? I’m in a waffles mood...”

She laughed, turning to look up to him again. “I will _always_ eat waffles.”

Gently, he moved forward and set her beside him. She pulled and cuddled up under the blankets again, laying her head back on the pillow. He leaned down and placed a soft kiss on her lips before leaving the bed, and headed towards the kitchen. 

——

They spent the morning in together, lazily lounging against one another and nibbling on waffles once Blake came back upstairs from the kitchen with a breakfast tray for them to indulge on. There was something easy about them being together like this that made her heart flutter; while it was comfortable it was still exciting and new, and she just prayed that the feeling would last forever. She hadn’t felt cared for like this before, and the feeling was addicting. Just his hand against her skin could make her body freeze and crave more. 

“I want to take you out today,” he said suddenly, in the midst of scattered conversation. 

Gwen stopped chewing the bite of waffle in her mouth as she froze, turning her attention over to him as her eyes widened. Her face fell a little as she looked at him sadly, before averting her eyes down to her plate. “We can’t do that, Blake,” she whispered quietly. 

She felt his thumb massage gently against her hip, where his hand was resting against her. He nudged her a little bit there, which brought her attention back to him. “Why not?” he asked.

“Blake…” she said, shaking her head once. Wasn’t it obvious? 

“I’m not talking about going somewhere around here where there will probably be people from school,” he explained. “But this is LA, it’s huge. We can go a few towns over and get lost for the day. I know some places where the media doesn’t hide.”

She kept her gaze on him as they held eye contact for a few minutes. “You’re being serious,” she said, as it suddenly hit her. He nodded in response, as his fingers gently began stroking against her hip again. 

“I’ll even let you borrow one of my ball caps,” he said with a grin. 

Gwen let out a chuckle. “I don’t know if this is a good idea…”

He moved forward, kissing her softly. He pulled back a bit to whisper against her cheek. “Say yes, Gwen…”

She rolled her eyes, bit her lip and looked at him for a few minutes. Gwen let out a sigh with a shake of her head. “Okay,” she conceded. 

“Really?” he said, almost in disbelief over how easy that had been. He grinned at her and they laughed together, crawling out of bed to get ready for the day. 

After a quick run by Gwen’s apartment for her to change clothes, she climbed back into Blake’s truck and they were off to spend the day together. She pulled down the visor and looked at herself in the mirror, tucking her blonde hair up into one of Blake’s caps and tightening it on her small head. She knew if there was a chance of them being seen together, her hair would give her away immediately, and this was the compromise they had reached. Before long, they were walking down the street together, hand in hand, heading towards a movie theater off of his suggestion. 

Soon, and with popcorn and drinks in hand, they were walking into the dark theater and they paused once they entered, surveying their choices of seats. The theater was empty, and that fact alone gave her a bit more confidence than usual. Gwen pressed up on her toes and nudged him from behind, bringing her mouth close to his ear to whisper.

“Have you ever been naughty in the back of a movie theater?” she asked, her lips turning into a grin before the words even left her mouth. Blake cast a knowing look down at her and their eyes locked for a moment. 

“No,” he admitted, then raised his eyebrow at her. “Have you?”

Gwen shook her head in response, and walked around him to come in front of him. She took his hand in hers and gave him a small, wicked smile. “Maybe it’s time to do something about that,” she murmured, before tugging him along and up the stairs towards the back row of the theater. 

They settled into their seats and their hands found each other almost immediately. Gwen’s arm went around his as she leaned into him a bit, letting his hand go as she softly trailed her fingers against his arm in long strokes. Her feet curled under herself and her free hand fell to rest on his thigh. She kept her focus there, running her fingers against him in a tease, Blake’s reaction shielded from her as the visor on the ball cap was between them. 

“Gwen, I think you’re supposed to wait until at _least_ the previews start,” he mumbled to her, already feeling effected by her touch.

She let out a soft laugh. “Oh. Well, I’m new to this, remember?” She stilled her hand, and leaned into him. “What do you want me to do once the previews start, baby?” she cooed in his ear.

Blake let out a groan as his hand fisted, willing himself to stay calm and not jump her bones in the middle of the theater. Gwen knew how much he was effected by her, and she grinned cutely at him. He moved his hand to her leg, slipping up under her dress, tracing small circles there with his finger. “Just know that whatever you do…” he began, before letting his finger tease her inner thigh and making her body tense, “…I’m going to make you jump twice as hard with what _I_ do.”

Their attention turned as they heard the door open to the theater, Blake pulling his hand out from under her dress which just made her feel suddenly desperate. She let out a breath and slumped back into her chair, turned on just by Blake being next her but unable to do much about it. Her gaze fell to her lap as she forced herself to calm for a moment. 

“Hey Blake!” a male voice came suddenly, which made Gwen jolt and freeze.

Blake looked up and saw one of the music professors that had interviewed him coming up the stairs, and his face froze. Gwen didn’t recognize them, but anyone that knew Blake was probably not a good person to see him with her at this point. She kept her head down and face hidden under the cap, praying to god that maybe he would just go away, or not bother with her, or that some other miracle would happen. Because if Blake was caught, she would never forgive herself. 

Luckily for them, the professor and the woman he was with - assumed to be his wife - stopped in the row in front of them and began making their way across to the middle seats. 

“Good to see you, Rick,” Blake nodded towards him, trying not to give the man a reason to start a conversation with him as he diverted his attention back to Gwen, who was still keeping her face hidden. The man and his wife settled down in seats just off to the side of Gwen, and when she thought it was safe, she slowly peered up at Blake. Not wanting to make a sound, she pulled out her phone and texted him.

_Blake, who is that?! Gx_

_So uh, that’s Professor Williams…he works in the music department -B_

_PROFESSOR? Blake, we should leave… Gx_

_If we leave, we risk getting caught more, because we’d have to go around them and walk out in front of them. -B_

_Blake, I’m really scared right now Gx_

_Baby, it’s okay. Take a deep breath. If you freak out, it will be worse. -B_

Gwen tucked her phone away and settled back in her seat, painfully aware now of the two sitting in front of them and off to the side. She watched them from the corner of her eye and she kept her head low, feeling a bit tense. Blake’s arm slid around her shoulders and tugged her to him. 

“Relax,” he whispered, before quickly kissing her forehead. 

She nodded, unable to really do so but still trying. She reached out for his other hand and squeezed it, trying to keep herself calm. The following ten minutes or so felt like an eternity as she focused on others entering the theater and taking their seats. She only felt moderate relief once the lights dimmed and the previews began to play.

The professor and his wife seemed unconcerned with anything else except the screen in front of them. Gwen looked to the side and saw Blake focused on the screen, but she caught his eye and he looked at her instead. His hand rested against her shoulder and he squeezed it gently, reassuring her. She felt herself relax ever so slightly just as the movie began to play on the screen, her body leaned in towards him. 

She soon found herself lost in the movie, though still painfully aware of Blake’s arm around her. It was stupid, really, how much of an effect that had on her. Her eye drew to the side again when she sensed movement from the couple in front of them, just in time to see the professor slide his arm around his wife similarly to how Blake was holding Gwen. 

Gwen didn’t think anything of it at first, when Blake let his other hand rest on top of her dress, just below her thigh. She felt it move slightly, pushing the hem of her dress up, which was the first thing that caught her attention. When his hand snaked higher on her thigh, she tilted her head towards him a bit questioningly, cast her gaze down, then back to the movie screen. He went a little higher with his hand, brushing the hem of her underwear, and that really got her attention as her body froze. Her hand gripped onto him, as if she was bracing herself, which was a good instinct as he teased along the edge and she was having trouble staying still. Blake brought his other hand under her breasts, tracing his finger along the skin just beneath her underwire. She pressed her lips together in frustration, as all she could let him do was continue to tease and torture her like that. 

Towards the end of the movie, she was even more desperate. He had spent the majority of the movie touching her, brushing softly against her delicate skin and making her want him so badly. She felt the wetness in her underwear and the flush in her cheeks as she looked at him and he seemed unbothered by it all, which drover her even crazier. She held herself together as the credits began to roll, and the other patrons began getting up to walk out of the movie theater. She kept her eyes cast down as the professor waved at Blake and went out the opposite door, and she was thankful he hadn’t tried to stay and start a conversation. When she realized they were in the theater alone again, she let out a breath and straddled his lap immediately, kissing him deeply.

“I hate you,” she breathed, between desperate kisses, her hands massaging deeply into his hair. She moaned slightly as she felt his arms tighten around her, grabbing and claiming her body as his own. He returned her kisses with the same desperation, not letting her go. 

He chuckled a little as he pulled her head to the side and he took her neck into his mouth, kissing roughly, his hands sliding up her body.

“We…we almost got caught,” she managed, letting out a breath and another moan, her hands tightening on him as she bit her lip.

“But we didn’t,” he breathed against her neck, before taking her lips with his again. “I saw how that turned you on, though. I told you sneaking around could be fun, baby.”

The adrenaline rush was almost too much as she kissed him deeply again, desperate for him, only stopping when she heard the theater door open from below. Gwen pulled herself back, her eyes locked with his.

“They’re probably coming to clean,” she said softly, pulling herself to stand up, not wanting to get caught in a compromising position. She held her hand out for his and he took it, standing up with her. “Let’s go back to your truck,” she nudged him, wrapping her arm around his as they began to descend down the stairs. 

He climbed into the backseat of the truck first, Gwen right behind him as she shut the door before settling into his lap. Her arms went immediately around his neck and she kissed him deeply, letting out a moan as his hands came to her body once again. He slid his hands under her dress, coming up her thighs, causing her knees to tighten against his sides as she steadied herself. 

“If there’s anything you don’t want me to do…let me know, okay?” he whispered in her ear, which caused her to let out a breath. 

“That’s not it,” Gwen responded softly, moving forward to kiss him again. She pulled back a bit and their eyes locked, it was almost too much for her to handle and she cast her gaze down before she continued. “I want you to touch me. And I want to…” she let her words trail off, unable to say it. He realized she was having a tough time with something, and he brought one of his hands up to rest on her cheek, forcing her to look at him.

“Talk to me,” he prompted her. 

“I wanted to do more with you last night,” she confessed suddenly. “I just…I don’t have a lot of experience, and I got scared.”

Blake exhaled and moved his hand around to the back of her head, tugging her forward a bit to lean against him. His arms went around her and he held her in silence for a few moments. 

“I didn’t want to scare you away either,” she mumbled against him. 

“You’re not going to scare me away just because you’re nervous about sex,” he reassured her. “Have you ever…?”

“Well yeah, I mean, I have, it’s just, it hasn’t been a good experience,” she shrugged, as she cut him off before letting him finish the question. She sat up to face him and their eyes met again. She rolled her eyes playfully. “I mean, I’m such a girl, Blake. I just get self-conscious about how I look and, I don’t even know if I’m any good and I don’t want to disappoint you.”

Blake sighed as he watched her, his hand gently stroking through her hair a bit as he processed what she was saying. “Did someone make you feel like this?”

She knew the answer immediately, but she didn’t want to get into it. She didn’t want her ex to ruin this for her, so she settled on a more neutral response. “Maybe,” she spoke quietly. 

He moved forward and kissed her softly, both of them relaxing in the moment as they just focused on one another. Blake pecked a kiss on the top of her forehead and she gave him a small smile. “I told you last night, we can take this slow,” he reminded her. “If you want to try, we can, but if you’re not ready, we don’t have to. There’s no timeline for this.” He paused, before he continued. “And Gwen, you literally have _no_ reason to be shy about the way you look. I mean, holy hell. Sometimes I have to look away because I can’t handle you.”

She let out a nervous laugh as she felt her cheeks flush red. She scrunched her nose a bit. “You’re cute,” was all she said, before she leaned forward and kissed him again. “There’s also literally nothing I want to do more than make out with you right now.” She grinned a bit and kissed him again.

“Fine with me,” he whispered against her skin, before taking her lips again.


	8. Back For You

She felt herself doing it, yet couldn’t stop it. Everything had happened with Blake so fast, she felt comfortable almost instantly and it was freaking her out. It freaked her out so much, she had avoided him for three days.

He believed her when she e-mailed him and said she was sick and not coming to class; he wanted to come over, wanted to bring her soup and take care of her, but she told him not to, she was afraid of her roommate coming home unexpectedly. The story only faltered when on the second day, Blake saw her out at a restaurant dressed up and feeling absolutely fine with a few other students. He kept himself concealed in the background, taking his dinner to go and slipping out the back to not be seen. Even though he didn’t know why Gwen was avoiding him, he didn’t feel right about confronting her. He ran through everything in his mind - had he done anything wrong? Had he said something wrong?

On Wednesday, Gwen woke up to a text from him and she sighed, nervously looking at it. Her heart was screaming at her to respond, but her mind was psyching herself out that it was all going to end in misery anyways. She didn’t feel like she was going to ever be the type to get her ideal relationship; she scared herself back into a corner about getting Blake in trouble if anyone were to find out, and she was trying to forget about him.

But she couldn’t. 

That’s how it had been, every waking moment since she had met Blake had been consumed by Blake in her thoughts. She wanted to be near him, touch him, hold onto him. It was that magnetic pull they had with one another and it had only gotten stronger. She was putting herself through so much angst, and she knew it. She knew that she had valid fears on top of a lot of irrational thoughts. She chalked it up to needing a few days to clear her head, but all that had happened was that it had gotten more cluttered. And she didn’t know what to do from there. She couldn’t verbalize the feeling in the pit of her stomach, and she was shit at putting herself out there to explain herself through her anxieties. 

He started thinking that he had one chance to get this right. If he was going to figure out what was going on, he had to put himself out there for her. He had to show her what was right in front of her. Explain the things she didn’t understand. He shot off another text, that third morning, telling Gwen to check her e-mail. 

When she got that text, her hand grabbed for her laptop immediately and she opened the lid. The screen came to life, and she moused over into her inbox. It took a moment for it to refresh, but once it had, the first unopened e-mail was indeed from him.

_Gwen,_

_I haven’t been able to write any songs of my own for quite some time. These last few days have been different, though, and I found inspiration. I wanted to share this with you yesterday, but I know you were sick, so I thought I’d send it to you now. It’s only part of a song. You said you like writing love songs, and I was hoping that maybe you could help me with it. I hope to see you tomorrow._

_-B_

Gwen exhaled, her eyes scanning over the document he sent almost in a frenzy, as if she thought it was going to disappear. At the top of the page, she saw the title - _Go Ahead And Break My Heart_.

——

She felt guilty as her feet pulled her to the small studio the next day. Even though she knew Blake probably believed her that she was sick that week, she still hated lying to him. She didn’t understand how some people lied so easily, it just felt so wrong to her. She was pep talking herself to stay strong, but the moment she got through the studio doors and she saw Blake standing there, she felt herself begin to crack.

“Hey,” Blake said, offering a small smile as she closed the door behind her. 

She met his eyes briefly, but couldn’t hold his gaze long.

Gwen took a few steps forward, until she was standing right in front of him. 

“Are you feeling better today?” he asked, then debated before letting his hand move forward and rest against her cheek. She closed her eyes upon the contact.

“I wasn’t sick,” she confessed in a whisper, her eyes opening.

Blake didn’t flinch, as this was information he had already known, but he felt they were at least making progress if she was admitting it to him now. 

“Oh. Well, are you…okay?” he tried again.

“You scare me.”

The weight of her soft words lingered in the air between them for a few moments, and Blake let his hand drop from her cheek as they made eye contact. 

“I don’t…” she began, letting out a breath, before starting over. “I’m not really good at this kind of thing. I’m gullible. I get my hopes up easily, I fall fast, I always get hurt. I haven’t been treated right by people in my life. You scare me because you’re not like that. And I didn’t know how to react.”

Silence fell again, as Blake was debating on saying something to comfort her, or letting her continue if she had more to say. He could tell it was hard for her to say what she was saying. Before he could make up his mind, she spoke again. 

“I wrote some lyrics for your song. Can we work on that first? Maybe that will help me explain.”

He wasn’t entirely sure what she meant by that, but he nodded immediately. “Of course,” he said, turning and taking a few steps to reach for his guitar behind them before gesturing to the large couch in the room. They both took a seat near each other, but not quite touching. 

“I’ve been playing around with a few melodies on the guitar,” he explained. “I think I found a rhythm I like but lets see how it works.” Gwen nodded as Blake struck a few chords on his guitar, and he began to play. They both nodded together as the chords struck one after the other, both getting into the moment as they let the music speak between them. When Blake felt ready, he began to hum the lyrics along with the beat. After the first line he looked up, surprised to see Gwen mouthing it along with him, which brought a smile to his face.

_The sun is setting on your last good try_  
Here I am again with half a goodbye  
Wonder if you’re really gone this time  
Just when I’m about to lose my mind  
There you are again on my phone  
The moon is rising and you’re all alone  
Maybe we could just hang a while  
Maybe we could make each other smile 

Gwen’s features turned into a soft smile as he continued with the guitar, that was about where he had left off. Her eyes glanced down to the small notebook sitting in her lap, she let out a breath, and instinctfully picked up on the melody as she began to sing the verse she wrote.

_I'd never ever meant to get so into you_  
Thought I was using you just to get me through  
You know I’m broken, I don’t trust anyone  
Last thing I needed was to fall in love… 

Their eyes locked as she stopped, but Blake kept strumming the guitar. He nodded at her encouragingly, willing her to continue. She felt a little shy suddenly but tried to stave it off; and she forced herself to pick the melody back up and finish the verse.

_You’ve got me dreaming, got me thinking, I’ve got some hope_  
There is nobody else I wanna get to know  
But I’m so scared, I don’t know what to do  
How did you get me so into you? 

“Wow,” Blake breathed, stopping suddenly as his eyes locked with hers.

“It was terrible, wasn’t it? I’m really not offended if you hate it.”

“Gwen,” he breathed again. “That was really good.”

“Oh,” was all she responded. 

His hand rested gently on her knee. “Did you mean it?”

“Mean what?”

“The lyrics.”

“Yes.”

She felt herself moving in closer towards him. Slowly, he moved the guitar off of his lap and set it next to the couch, his hand coming back forward and resting on her hip bone. Gwen turned more towards him and soon, his arms were around her as their foreheads leaned in to touch.

“I’m sorry,” she said softly. “I feel stupid.”

“Don’t run away from me, Gwen,” he responded quietly. “You deserve to be treated right. That’s all I want to do.”

“Kiss me,” she murmured, her eyes not leaving his.

Blake moved forward, one hand cupping her cheek and the other snaked behind her back as he laid her down on the couch, moving to lay on top of her as he kissed her slowly and softly. Her arms reached up and rested on the back of his neck as she tugged him closer to her, but he kept the same glacial pace, refusing to give in to his desire to want to kiss her harder. She was in a vulnerable place, and he had every intention of making her feel safer, every intention of showing her the affection that she craved and hadn’t received before. A few more slow kisses and his lips brushed against her neck before he started kissing across her jawline as well. It was slow, sweet, and torturous. 

“Blake,” she whispered, her head snapping back as he continued teasing her neck. He hummed, not stopping. “We’re never going to get anything done in these meetings, are we?”

“This is your fault,” he said, with a chuckle against her skin. 

“I think we’re both to blame.”

“I’m pretty sure you demanded for me to kiss you and that’s what got us in a horizontal position,” he whispered playfully. She was about to protest before his lips covered hers, kissing her deeply. She got lost in it for a moment before she pulled back, her hands pushing his chest slightly so that they were both in a sitting position. She shot him a playful look and shook her head.

“No more for you then, cowboy.”

“Hey!” he protested, but it just sounded more like a whiny child. “I wasn’t complainin’, I was just setting the record straight!”

Gwen laughed a little and shook her head, reaching over his lap to pull his guitar up from the ground. “We’ve got a song to write, you should stop distracting me so much.” She sat up, placing the instrument in his lap, and he realized he immediately missed her that close to him.

“What about you? That’s so unfair. I’m the one that can’t tear my eyes away from you.”

“Stop it.”

“No, I won’t,” he protested again. “I will never stop telling you how beautiful you are.”

Silence fell for a few moments as their eyes locked again, and she felt her cheeks redden. Gwen cast her gaze downward as she let herself lean against his shoulder, one of her arms hooking around his arm as she closed her eyes, the strumming of his guitar the only soundtrack filling the room.


	9. Patience

By Friday night, she had fallen back onto his couch.

They had gone back to his place after their weekly studio session the day before to hang out, the only place Gwen really felt comfortable after their near run in with another staff member from the school the week before. Blake knew that after their close call that she’d be a bit more skittish to go anywhere else too soon, but he didn’t care, he just needed to be with her to be happy. Friday classes came and went, and the moment she felt the freedom of the weekend she brought herself to her apartment, got herself ready, and headed out to see Blake. 

Blake had all of the ingredients for homemade pizza laid out on the counter when she arrived, which brought a smile to her face as he kissed her neck and took her hand to lead her further inside. Gwen leaned against the counter and looked at the ingredients in anticipation, biting her lip through a smile as she felt Blake come up behind her. 

“You’re going to have to supervise me in this kitchen if you want this to be edible,” she said playfully, her head turning to catch a glimpse of him. He let out a chuckle.

“You can’t mess up pizza, darlin’,” he responded.

“Ooohh. That sounds like a challenge. You better be careful what you wish for.”

Blake’s hands went to her hips and turned her to face him. Her eyebrow raised as she smiled and soon his lips covered hers, kissing her deeply. 

“How was your day?” he asked softly. 

“It’s better now that I’m here,” she replied. Her hands rested on his chest for a moment and she pressed up to peck another kiss on his lips, before turning her attention to the ingredients. “You’re so fancy. You even have dough instead of pre-made crust.” She scrunched her nose a bit.

“Only the best for you, Gwen.”

“You know if you hadn’t gone through all this trouble to put all the ingredients out I’d just say screw it and we could _order_ pizza just so I could kiss you more,” she murmured, resting her chin against his chest as she peered up at him.

He kissed her again deeply, his arms grabbing her tight around her waist. He forced himself to pull back a bit, sighing heavily. “You know, the faster we make this, the faster we can set the timer and make out,” he suggested.

“Brilliant. I’m in. Hands off, cowboy,” she said, swinging her hip out at him to get him to let her go, giggling the entire time. They turned to the ingredients and Blake came beside her, grabbing the dough, and starting to knead it. 

“What do you like on your pizza?” he asked.

“Black olives…mushrooms…and pineapple. Pineapple is necessary.”

“Oh, you’re one of those weird girls that likes pineapple on pizza,” he said, pretending to fein disgust over the idea.

“Do you not?!” she asked, truly shocked. “Blake it’s literally like the best thing in the entire world.”

“You can keep your pineapple,” he said with a chuckle.

“You know what happens when I eat pineapple…” she pushed up on her toes to whisper into his ear. Gwen flashed him a devilish look, which he caught and seemed amused, her cheeks turning red eventually as she had to look away. “Well. Let’s just say that old tale about vegetarians _tasting_ better can be totally true.”

“Why are you bein’ such a damn tease?” he muttered. 

She let out a giggle. “Sorry. It’s too easy, babe.”

He pecked a quick kiss on her cheek. “Go grab the mozzarella from the fridge before I take you against this counter.” His comment caused both of them to laugh, as they continued to assemble the pizza together, casting side glances and looks at each other at every opportunity. 

Soon, the timer was set, Blake slid the pizza into the oven, and her back was falling onto the couch as Blake climbed on top of her. He started off slowly kissing her, framing her face with his hands, he let out a moan as Gwen’s legs latched tightly around him, willing him down harder on top of her. Their kisses picked up in pace and intensity as Gwen’s arms tugged around his neck, relaxing as they continued to make out. Before they knew it, the timer was going off to signal the oven was shutting off, but she wasn’t stopping. Blake pulled back just a little bit and kissed her neck.

“Aren’t you hungry?” he whispered in her ear. 

“Hungrier for you than pizza right now,” she whispered back, nibbling on his ear. He moved back around and kissed her deeply again. “You have an oven, we can reheat it if it gets cold.”

“Okay,” he responded, his lips moving to her neck again as he began to kiss her there, trailing down the side. Her arms rested on his back as she closed her eyes, enjoying the sensations as she focused on him. His lips brushed over a particularly sensitive spot and she jolted just slightly, she felt his lips curve into a smile against her skin as he continued. 

“Blake?” she said suddenly. He hummed, letting her know he was listening even as he continued to kiss her. She hesitated for a moment, and let out a breath. “Take me upstairs,” she said a bit quieter.

That definitely got Blake’s attention as he pulled back, his eyes locking with hers. She looked nervous, maybe a little unsure.

“Are you sure?” he asked. “I don’t want you to do anything you don’t feel comfortable doing.”

Gwen kept her eyes on him and just nodded, before her gaze looked down as her hands reached out for his, taking them in her own and squeezing them a bit to reassure him. Blake moved and sat back on his knees on the couch for a moment and pulled her into a sitting position before he stood up, pulling her along with him. 

He led her up the stairs and back into his bedroom - she paused a moment to take the room in, realizing she hadn’t been up there before. Blake stood with her, carefully attentive to her emotions as he squeezed her hand, bringing her back to reality. She gave him a small smile and took a step forward to close the distance between them, sliding her arms around his waist as they stood a few inches from the bed. She pressed up on her toes and kissed him passionately, his hand going to hold the back of her head as he kissed her back.

Her hands went to the hem of his shirt and she slowly pulled up, feeling his bare skin under her palms as she held his shirt at his chest, breaking their kisses for a moment to pull it over his head. His body was warm as she melted back against him, her hands traveling to explore the newly exposed skin as her lips went back to his. She took a step back towards the bed as her hands moved down to the hem of her own shirt, pulling it over her head in one swift motion, leaving herself standing just in her bra.

Blake took his time with her, allowing his hands to move back around her body, kissing the side of her neck as they both took a moment to catch their breaths. Her hands fumbled nervously with his belt buckle, finally able to undo it after a few attempts. She let out a breath as her hands rested on his hips, slowly beginning to work his jeans and boxers down.

“You alright?” he whispered against her skin, and she nodded. “You’re beautiful,” he reminded her. She felt a warmth surge through her at his words and flushing her cheeks as Blake gently moved her, laying her down on the bed behind them. They both readjusted and moved further back on the bed, Blake moving on top of her. Gwen’s hands came up to rest on his cheeks as she kissed him again, Blake’s arms wrapped securely around her body. 

His hand moved up her back, tugging gently at the band of her bra and finding the clasp, fumbling with it a moment before she felt it release. He kissed down her neck before gently pulling it away from her body, wasting no time in taking one of her breasts into his mouth. Her eyes closed automatically as she relaxed, feeling her legs clench around him tighter and letting out a moan.

His tongue swirled and teased her nipple, a small smile coming to her features as the pleasure surged through her body. She squirmed a little underneath him, suddenly desperate for him, but he just kept going as if nothing had happened, eventually trailing his tongue across her chest and taking the other into his mouth next. His hands caressed down her body and found the top of her stretchy leggings on her hips, and slowly hooked the top of them and her underwear under his fingers and dragged them down her legs, leaving both of them naked, tangled up against one another. 

Gwen felt herself tense a little bit, realizing she was exposed to him for the first time. He moved forward and kissed her and she broke it off, whispering in his ear instead. “Can we…can we turn the lamp off?” she mumbled nervously.

“Of course, baby, anything you want,” he said, planting a kiss on her cheek before reaching over to the nightstand to flick the switch, soon leaving them both in the darkness. “Don’t be afraid to talk to me, okay?”

He felt her shiver underneath him and she nodded. Blake moved them a bit and pulled them under the covers, hoping that it would not only help her warm up, but that maybe she needed them to feel safer. He positioned himself back in between her legs as his head tilted to the side, kissing her neck again, letting his hand trail down her body. He moved his hand down in between her legs, causing her to jolt at the sudden movement, his finger swirling against her center gently as he felt the wetness building there. Gwen let out a shaky breath and tugged him up to her, needing to kiss him roughly in those moments. 

His hands moved down to spread her legs open for him, and there was something inside of her that suddenly tensed, realizing what he was about to do. Blake stopped for a moment and let his hand move back up to her cheek, kissing her softly. 

“Sweetheart, you need to relax,” he said softly. She let out a frustrated breath.

“I’m fine,” she reassured him, their eyes locking for a moment. “I’m okay, I promise.”

Blake still felt the tension of nerves in her body but decided not to push it further, he let his hand caress gently through her hair as he gave her a small smile. He moved forward to kiss her again for a few moments before aligning himself up at her center, slowly attempting to push inside of her. Her body tensed up again as her hands clutched tightly onto his shoulders, her eyes shutting hard. 

“Baby, you’re too tense, I can’t get in…I’m not going to force it and hurt you,” he said softly.

“It’s always hurt,” she breathed out in a shaky breath. “And I just can’t…I’m expecting it to hurt and I can’t stop thinking about it hurting and I just don’t know what to do.” She shut her eyes tight, a frustrated tear streaming down her cheek. 

“It’s going to hurt if you’re not relaxed,” he explained. “When your body tenses up, it’s like it’s fightin’ against me.” His words were soft, not accusatory, but it didn’t stop the sudden sob that caught in the back of Gwen’s throat.

“I’m sorry,” she said, on the brink of tears. “I’m just so sorry.”

It broke his heart to hear her words, and his hand moved down to her thigh to close her legs before he came up to lay next to her. “Shh…” he whispered in her ear, right before she buried her head against his chest. “Sweetheart, you have no reason to be sorry. Let’s just breathe for a second.”

He pulled her naked body up onto his, holding her against him as she fought to contain herself and not start crying. “I feel so stupid, Blake. This isn’t how this was supposed to be.”

“You’re not stupid, Gwen,” he reassured her, his hand stroking down her back in an attempt to comfort her. The silence fell between them for a few minutes before he spoke again. “Do you want to know why I want to sleep with you?”

It was an odd question, one that caused her to turn her head up towards him, resting her chin on his chest as their eyes met. Once he knew he had her attention, he continued. 

“Gwen, I think you’re really special. I think we have a great connection, more so than anyone I’ve dated before,” he began. “Of course, you’re gorgeous, but you’re a gorgeous person on the inside, too. I can be myself with you. You’re majorly talented and I’m just so lucky that you even looked twice at me.” She squeezed her eyes shut a bit, feeling embarrassed over his kind words. He leaned forward and pecked a kiss on her forehead. “You’re amazin'. And I want to make you _feel_ amazin’."

“I feel safe with you,” she responded. “And you’re so patient, I just, I can’t get out of my head.”

Blake pondered for a few moments, his hand gently stroking through her blonde locks as their eyes remained on one another. 

“I have an idea,” he said after a few moments. “Do you trust me?”

She nodded, and his hands came down to her back and he slowly turned them over, laying her down on the bed as he hovered over top of her. He moved forward and kissed her deeply, and began trailing kisses down her neck, then down her chest. He teased her nipples before he dipped lower, his large hands resting on her hips as he kissed down to her lower stomach.

One hand rested on the back of his head as she felt him gently open her legs again, kissing dangerously close to her center. 

“What are you doing?” she asked inquisitively. 

He kissed the top of her center and she let out a ragged breath, her eyes closing. 

“Haven’t you ever had someone go down on you?” he asked. “I think this will help you relax.”

Her eyes widened a bit, which he caught out of the corner of his eye when he glanced back up at her. 

“Oh, I uhmm…no…” she said, unsurely. 

He licked her center and a small gasp caught in her throat, he smiled against her as he began to massage his tongue against her clit. “Really?” he breathed.

“My ex said that wasn’t a thing,” she admitted quietly. “That people didn’t really do that.”

“Sounds like a lying asshole,” he said. “Lay back and close your eyes. Just focus on enjoying it.”

She did what he said and felt her body relax as his mouth moved back over her center. The corners of her lips turned up into a smile as his hands held onto the sides of her hips and his tongue slipped inside of her. Gwen’s body arched and she let out a moan, clearly enjoying it. His tongue circled her clit again and he began to tease it, and she was having trouble staying still. Blake was encouraged by the sudden extra wetness he felt between her legs and he continued, making her desperate, wanting more, as she slowly began building herself up to an orgasm.

Gwen let out a gasp and a moan as she felt herself building, her hand resting gently on the back of his head as her other hand fisted the sheets below them. “Don’t stop, Blake, please,” she spoke desperately, willing him to continue, which he did without hesitation. Her toes curled and she bit her lip as he worked her closer and closer to the edge, her breathing ragged just as he easily brought her to orgasm. Her breath caught in the back of her throat as she gasped, her thighs shaking as her hand clutched the back of his head, her hips bucking up into him, fighting against his hands trying to keep her still beneath him. She came down from her high and he was kissing the inside of her thighs as her entire body melted against the bed in pure bliss.

“Whoa,” she whispered hoarsely, squirming a bit under him as he kissed a particularly sensitive area. “Wow.”

He kissed the inside of her thighs a bit longer before moving slowly back up on top of her. He kissed her deeply as one hand moved her leg open a bit more and he slowly began to slide himself inside of her with ease. It wasn’t until he was all the way in that she had realized what had happened, and her eyes widened as she looked at him.

“You did it,” was all she said, which caused him to chuckle. He kissed her neck, and her hands went down his back and rested on his lower back as he shifted slightly inside of her, trying to make her more comfortable. 

“Focus on me, okay? I’m going to take it slow. Relax, and let me know if you want me to stop. Promise?”

“Promise,” she whispered against his lips, before taking them with her own and kissing him. Her legs wrapped around his body and Blake slowly began to pick up a rhythm, rocking them together in unison as he continued to kiss her. 

“You can do more,” she encouraged him shyly after a few minutes, and he began to quicken his pace, being careful to keep an eye on her. Her hands clenched tightly to his shoulders as she let out a moan, willing his body closer to hers. 

“You’re amazing, Gwen Stefani,” he whispered into her ear before he nipped at it, moving inside of her a bit deeper and causing her to gasp. He was suddenly so close as she tightened around him, her moans and gasps sweet encouragement as he continued, building up to his own release. It soon arrived as he thrust into her and her hands tightened against him again and he rode out his orgasm, continuing to thrust until he was able to bring her along for the ride on her own second orgasm. She felt her thighs shaking against him again as she clung to him tightly, both collapsing back against the bed when all was said and done. 

He was laying completely on top of her when she came back to reality, her eyes staring at the ceiling as she regained her senses one by one. Her arms draped lazily over his back, his head was nuzzled against her neck and she could feel his breath against her skin there. She wiggled a little under him and that brought him back to reality, his lips reaching up to kiss her jawline as he let out another heavy breath.

“How are you feeling?” he asked her.

“I feel drugged,” she said as the first response that came to mind, which caused both of them to giggle. “Oh my god, Blake, I feel incredible.”

His lips met hers as he moved up a bit, laying on his back, and tugging Gwen to lay on top of him instead. She instantly cuddled up to him as his muscular arms covered her body and her eyes closed. 

“I never had an orgasm with him,” she admitted quietly. “And you did it twice. Oh my god.”

“I _want_ to give you all of the orgasms, babe,” he responded. “You’re special to me. And I’m happy I was able to make you feel good.”

She reached up and pecked a kiss on his cheek before cuddling back against his chest. “Nap time,” she announced, which caused him to chuckle a bit.

“I love you, Blake."


	10. Deep Breath, Deep Throat

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is for Marie Marty.
> 
> Thank you for being such an amazing friend <3

Those four words hung awkwardly in the air between them. Once she realized she had actually said them, her body tensed, especially as it was followed by pure silence.

_I love you, Blake._

He must have been internally freaking out. He must have been thinking she was some delusional schoolgirl, feeling things so intensely for the first time and over exaggerating her words. Blake was still holding her against his chest, but she didn’t dare move. She didn’t dare look up at him, scared at what she might be faced with. She felt her cheeks redden a bit as her body stayed tense, and soon the tense feeling was overwhelming as her body shot up into a sitting position, her hands reaching forward to grab the duvet cover to shield her body from him. She was panicking as she moved away from him, still not able to face him. 

“I’ll just go,” she said abruptly, not knowing how else to handle it, not even able to think clearly. All she felt was panic as she tugged the duvet with her, moving towards the edge of the bed as if she was about to stand up. She felt frustrated tears welling in her eyes and she felt like she just wanted to die in that moment. Before her feet hit the ground she felt the weight of his hand reaching out and around to grasp onto her shoulder, temporarily bringing her back to reality. 

“Hey, hey, wait a minute,” Blake fumbled out, still clearly shocked by her admission, but not quite having any other words in those moments. “Just please, don’t go,” he said again, letting out a breath, tightening his grip on her a bit as he moved across the bed to be closer to her. 

Gwen shut her eyes tight as her head sunk in defeat. She bit her bottom lip, holding herself together a moment before speaking. “Please let me leave so I can die of embarrassment.”

He was sitting right behind her now as she clutched the duvet tight against her chest, her back bare and exposed to him. His hand gently caressed down it and over to her arm, a small attempt to soothe her.

“I don’t know why I said that,” she mumbled out in a panic. “I mean…I do? But maybe I don’t yet? I feel love for you, but is that like, _love_? When do you know? Can you know? But I don’t know, because this is new, and oh my god, you’re totally freaked out right now, I can just feel it because…”

Blake pressed his lips against hers to cut her off mid-sentance, his arms wrapping around her, and after a few moments of this, he felt her relax a bit. Gwen let out a breath as their lips parted, and a moment later her eyes opened to meet his. She looked so vulnerable; slightly terrified, and incredibly unsure, and there was something about it that just hit his core. Blake brought his hand up and stroked once through her hair before resting it against her cheek. 

“Deep breath. Relax,” he said to her quietly, as his thumb lightly stroked against her cheek. “I’m not freaked out.”

“You’re not?” she asked. Gwen let out a shaky breath. “I didn’t mean…”

“…it’s okay, baby,” he cut her off again. Blake placed another kiss on her lips before he moved to lean back against the headboard, his hands gently tugging to encourage Gwen to come with him. “Come here,” he said softly. Slowly, she moved to crawl back onto the bed and into his arms.

They sat with each other for a few minutes in the silence, before Blake eventually spoke up. 

“I forgot what that felt like,” he admitted honestly. “It caught me off guard.”

“I warned you, I told you I’m stupid and I fall fast and I’m sor—“

“No,” he said simply, cutting her off again. “Please don’t apologize.”

Silence fell between them once more, which only caused Gwen to feel her anxiety rise. Somehow, Blake felt it too and he let his thumb stroke against her arm, giving her something to focus on. 

“I _could_ love you, Gwen.”

Her attention went back to him immediately, her eyebrows raised at him. “You’re…you’re not just saying that to make me feel better, are you?”

Blake shook his head. “No, darlin’. I wouldn’t lie to you like that. If I didn’t think it was a possibility, I wouldn’t say it.” He leaned forward and placed a kiss on her forehead, she let her eyes close momentarily.

“I feel a lot for you, Blake,” she said quietly, after a few moments of contemplation. “Sometimes its overwhelming and I obviously say stupid things.”

“Shush,” he said, pecking another kiss on her forehead. “You’re not saying anything stupid.”

“I could love you too, Blake,” she replied. “And I’m sorry if I ruined that by getting carried away.”

“You didn’t ruin anything, babe,” he said again. “And, I mean, _technically_ anything you say after two orgasms, you get a pass on.” He chuckled a little bit as he watched her bite her lip into a smile and close her eyes, her head burying against his chest in embarrassment. 

“You’re really good at that.”

“What?”

“Orgasms.”

There was a beat of silence before both of them started laughing with each other, their eyes meeting once they both settled down a bit, their lips meeting for a soft kiss as Gwen cuddled up closer to him. 

“You aren’t afraid to say what you’re feeling, even if you’re a little embarrassed. I like that about you, Gwen.” Their eyes were still locked on each other as she hummed, tilting her head as if asking for more. “My ex,” he explained, with an exasperated sigh, “…I mean, the last year or so we were together, I don’t think I ever heard anything like that. Not once.”

“But you’re amazing,” Gwen interjected. “I don’t understand why…how…she could have treated you like that.”

Blake shrugged it off. He wasn’t really sure how his marriage ended in shambles, and he had spent far too much time reflecting on it. It was also the last thing he wanted to think about as he held Gwen in his arms in those moments. 

“I could say the same thing about you,” was all he replied. She had told him about some of how her ex treated her, and even though he didn’t have full details, he had really started to think he was a monster of some kind. 

“Fair,” she replied. 

“One thing that I’ve always thought, though, and I really believe this, is in order to be whole, you have to break at least once,” Blake said. “I know that sounds all deep and philosophical, but I think it’s true.”

Her attention turned up to him and their eyes met again in the silence that followed. Gwen shifted softly and straddled his lap, facing him as her arms coming around his neck as she pressed her naked body up against his. Blake’s hands tightened around her hips and his dimples made an appearance, which made her grin right before she leaned forward and kissed him. She squealed a bit as he suddenly took her back, laying her down gently on the mattress as his body laid against her again, pinning her down as his kisses began intensifying. Gwen kept up the pace, her legs wrapping around his midsection as he began to grind against her, and she felt herself getting more desperate. 

Finding her strength, she waited for a moment that he seemed preoccupied and she pushed and flipped their positions on the bed so that she was now straddling him, which left her giggling, because even though that was what she intended, she couldn’t believe she just flipped this muscular cowboy underneath her. He let out a chuckle as she slowly moved up his torso, teasing him a little bit as she pushed her center down against him. Her eyes fell to his torso as she gently pressed her finger against his chest, slowly dragging it down to his stomach, intent on watching him. She pulled her hips up slightly and moved herself down, seating herself in between his legs as she let her finger tease around his hips, down his thigh a bit and back up. 

Blake was intent on watching her, but he was also obviously having trouble holding himself together. His body was a bit tense as he let her have the dominance in that moment, and that damn mischievous smirk on her face was definitely not helping matters. His thigh twitched the moment she began to lower herself, hovering over him for only a moment before she unexpectedly took his length into her mouth.

He let out a gasp without meaning to the moment her mouth closed around him, and her tongue began massaging up and down the shaft as her lips tightened and she began to suck him slowly. 

“Gwen, you don’t have to…” he managed, but couldn’t finish as he let out a moan, his eyes averting down to watch her. It almost caught him off guard as Gwen was watching him the entire time, her eyes intent to keep eye contact with his as she smiled and let him move slowly out of her mouth. She gently took a hold of his erection and licked him slowly from base to tip, and he was pretty sure that was something that might eventually kill him. Gwen repeated the tease slowly, making sure that he was watching her.

“Holy fuck,” he said a lot louder than intended. “Gwen, please, baby, I need more,” he said desperately, his hips twitching and writhing underneath her. 

“You need more?” she asked in that cute, innocent voice that did him in. She slowly began sucking on the tip only for a moment before cocking her head to look up at him. “Like that?”

“Gwen, _more_ ,” he practically growled at her, which caused her to giggle a little. She continued a slow tease with a grin before she surprised him and took him back deep into her mouth, soon picking up a deep and fast rhythm.

He was moaning, incoherently saying things she couldn’t quite grasp because she was concentrating. She was watching him watch her when his head wasn’t snapping back in frustration as she worked her tongue up and down his length, working him in and out of her mouth. She took him back again and sucked deeper, and she knew she had him right on the edge as he fisted the covers underneath him and started begging her to keep going. She obliged, then stopped suddenly to lick his length and meet his eyes again.

“Do you want to come in my mouth?” she asked in that sweet tone, that it almost felt wrong.

“Fuck, _fuck_ , I’m so close,” was all he could manage. A moment later she took him back in her mouth deeper and worked him back up and over the edge, letting him ride out his orgasm as he came into her mouth. He settled minutes later and she gently rested her hands on his thighs, swallowing as she gently took him out of her mouth. 

After taking a few minutes to fully recover, his eyes opened and stared at the ceiling. Gwen had moved to lay and curl up next to him and her hand was gently stroking his hair, her eyes fixated on him. His opposite arm reached out for her and rested on her hip, clenching it as he let out a breath. She placed a kiss on his forehead. 

“You’re really good at that, too,” was all he managed to say, his breathing still off balance as he let out a heavy breath. 

“Hmm?” she asked.

“Orgasms. You…Gwen, you are _good_ at orgasms.”

She chuckled a little bit at his still slightly disoriented state as she let her head lay against him, curling up even more as she relaxed. “I think I like watching you fall apart underneath me. That was hot.” She grinned at him, which caused him to now let out a chuckle. Her lips came up to his ear and she added in a whisper, “You tasted good, too.”

He probably felt goosebumps on his arms after she said that but to be honest, he was still disoriented from everything, and he was still not functioning properly. He wanted to say something, but knew he would likely screw it up royally in his current stage. He let out a slight grunt in frustration as his arm tugged her closer to his chest, and soon they both drifted off to sleep.


	11. Temporary Insanity

He hadn’t seen her in a few days.

Blake assumed she had been tied up with her other classes, and he wasn’t exactly void of any work on his end, either. In addition to his teaching responsibilities he was planning other things in his career, things that took time and focus, and sometimes it was hard to get a minute to himself, much less with anyone else. He found himself missing her more than he had ever missed before; their texts back and forth were the only thing that were keeping him sane.

She spent the first few days worrying.

This had happened to her before, that agonizing point right after you realize you’re getting attached to someone and you need to make yourself calm down for fear of coming on too strong, too fast, _especially_ after her slip up in professing her love for him out of the blue after he had made her come. Old fears and anxieties took a new life as applied to her current situation. Had she slept with him too fast? Was the thrill over for him and he had lost interest? She knew on an intellectual level it was her schedule to partially blame, but she couldn’t help it. If there was one thing Gwen was used to, it was being left behind. 

She wasn’t the type to initiate plans, either. She grew up quite traditionally where the guy had to ask the girl out, otherwise if he didn’t, he simply was not interested. Any time she witnessed a girl chase after the guy, it never ended well. Girls like that were seen as desperate and overbearing, and she was more passive by personality anyways. But the waiting part still really sucked. 

Through texts, they made tentative plans to have a date on Friday night, but by Thursday morning, Blake was texting to reschedule to Saturday. He was apologizing profusely, saying that his best friend Adam was back in town and didn’t tell him, he hadn’t seen him for months. Gwen understood, but her heart sank as her insecurities came back. She knew the relationship was new, he had a whole other life without her in it, and if things were different, if she _wasn’t_ his damn student, she would probably have an invitation to come along with them. Instead, she let the cloud defeat her rational judgement. 

Behati had taken notice, though. That roommate of hers did not waste a Friday night, and she wasn’t about to let Gwen waste one, either. After classes were over on Friday they were both back at the apartment, flinging clothes around as music played in the background. They were laughing and joking, sipping wine coolers as they were getting ready for the night. 

“Gwen, you can’t go out like that. What are you, Mother Theresa?” Behati cackled, sipping her drink and rolling her eyes. The bombshell jumped up and off of her bed and started digging through her own closet.

Gwen chuckled. “I resent that!”

“Take it off, right now,” her roommate ordered. A moment later, Gwen tugged the dress over her head, standing in just her bra and underwear again. “Now, try _this_ ,” she said next, holding out something tiny and sparkly.

Gwen’s eyes fell on it and she raised her eyebrows as the fabric caught between her fingers. “Okay,” she said, holding it up in front of her. “So I’ve got a shirt, where’s the pants?”

Behati started laughing. “Gwen, _dahling_ , it’s a dress.”

The blonde was laughing as she shimmied into it, the hem barely covering her ass as she readjusted the tight fabric. “Well where’s the rest of it?”

Behati started laughing again and shook her head. “You have so much to learn.”

“I literally can’t go out of the house like this!” Gwen exclaimed.

“Oh my god stop it, stop it, stop it,” Behati replied, tugging her friend over to the full length mirror.

“Behati, I can see my ass hanging out of this dress.”

“Well, then that means its working.”

“Behati!”

“Gwen, babe, chill,” she said with a giggle. “You look amazing and I wouldn’t let you out of the house if you didn’t.”

It was a lot more back and forth, but Behati got her way. She always did. 

——

“Why did you wear _that_ shirt?” Adam balked, as he watched Blake approach him on the sidewalk. 

Blake rolled his eyes. “What are you, the fashion police now?” he asked. They both let out a chuckle and gave each other a bro hug.

“Nah, I’m just worried you’re going to make a terrible impression on your date.”

“My _what_?!”

“Hi, baby!”

Both Adam and Blake’s attention turned to a tall, thin brunette walking towards them with a sparkly smile plastered across her features. Adam’s arm hooked around the gorgeous woman’s waist and he leaned in to kiss her cheek, making her blush. 

“Blake, this is my girlfriend, Angela,” Adam said, thoroughly distracted as his eyes did not leave her body. 

“Well, you do have a thing for models,” Blake mumbled, and Adam rolled his eyes. “It’s nice to meet you.”

“Likewise,” the brunette grinned, and turned to look behind them. She reached her arm out for an equally gorgeous woman standing behind them, waiting to be introduced. “Blake, this is my friend Nina.” 

The other woman joined the conversation a bit shyly, flashing Blake a smile. Nina was also tall, thin, but had striking long, blonde hair in contrast to her friend’s dark brunette hair. Before he was able to process the situation, or take it all in, for that matter, Nina’s arms were around Blake’s neck giving him a hug. 

“Blake, it’s so nice to finally meet you. I feel like Adam and Angela have told me so much about you.”

Fire surged under the surface. He was about an inch away from wanting to murder Adam Levine. Adam must have caught that vibe, and he turned to Angela. 

“Babe, why don’t you and Nina head inside and find us a place to sit. Blake and I need to catch up on a few things, just work.”

“Mmm..’kay,” Angela said, pecking his lips before reaching for Nina’s hand to lead them inside.

“Don’t make we wait too long,” Nina said playfully, before she let her friend tug her inside. 

Once the women were both out of earshot, Blake’s attention turned to Adam.

“A date? You set me up on a blind date and didn’t even tell me?” he asked, sounding a little angrier than intended. 

“Of course, idiot, because if I told you it was a date, you wouldn’t have come.”

“Of course I wouldn’t have come,” he said bitterly. 

“Blake, you need to get over her. You need to date again,” Adam said, frustrated. “You can’t just keep yourself holed up and away from people. Look. You don’t have to love this girl. But just have a few drinks tonight and try and have fun with her, who knows, you might even want to put your tongue in her mouth by the time it’s all over.”

Blake rolled his eyes, and all he could think about was Gwen. He couldn’t tell Adam about Gwen, even though he had that horribly worried look in his eyes that Blake was wasting his life away. He knew Adam constantly worried about him even when Adam pretended not to, maybe this would get him off his back for a while. But damn it…he really just wanted to be with Gwen instead, no matter how pretty this other woman was. 

“…unless you’re seeing someone, then I will totally call this entire thing off. Are you?”

Blake couldn’t get the lie to leave his lips to hide his secret, so he resigned himself to saying nothing. Adam took that as his answer. 

“Alright then, behave. Nina is also a Victoria’s Secret model, and she thinks, for whatever stupid reason, your dimples are cute,” Adam said, however painfully, as he rolled his eyes. As Blake let Adam lead him into the bar, all he could think about was if Gwen thought his dimples were cute. 

“Finally!” Angela exclaimed, catching sight of them at the door and waving them over. The two women had found two small couches adjacent to one another, and one was sitting on each. Adam settled down on one and Angela immediately crawled to sit in his lap, cuddling against him before reaching out to get the two drinks she had ordered for them. She slid one into his free hand as his other was securely wrapped around her waist. “Just like you like it, baby.” She leaned forward and nipped at his ear, and Blake thought it was definitely possible he was going to get sick by the end of the night. 

Blake took a seat next to Nina, and she wasted no time closing the space between them as one of her arms came around his. She was a lot more forward than a lot of girls Blake had been exposed to, and it was a little daunting at first. “Adam said you really like whiskey, is this okay?” she asked, handing him a glass. 

Truthfully, any damn alcoholic drink would have been just fine and necessary in those moments. 

Silence fell between them for a few minutes and the woman seemed to not notice how awkward Blake was being, mostly because he just didn’t know what to do. It wasn’t many times in life that he had a surprise blind date and within minutes the girl was hanging off his arm. 

“Adam said you’re also a singer?” she politely began conversation, her lips smiling softly up to him. 

“Oh, I uhm, yeah, I guess I am,” he chuckled nervously. “I’m doin’ some other things now though, I mean, of course Adam and I have the show together but I’m actually teaching at Manchester.”

“You sing country, don’t you?”

“Yes.”

Nina giggled. “I don’t know anything about country music. It’s kind of weird.”

With every word this woman spoke, Blake was planning his revenge against Adam. 

He behaved, though. He was polite, and kept small conversation going as he kept focused on the whiskey in front of him. When he was done with the first, he moved on to the second. He could tell this Nina girl was a lightweight, because there was a big difference between her first drink and the start of her third. She was touchy, and he felt guilty, even though it meant nothing to him. He would occasionally glance at Adam with his girlfriend still tangled on his lap, realizing he was going to be no help. 

“Baby, you’re all out, do you want another one?” she asked sweetly. 

Anything to get a few moments of silence. “Yeah, that’d be great, I appreciate it,” he said, slipping her a twenty dollar bill. “Get yourself another, if you’d like one.” Maybe it would keep her away longer. Nina grinned and stood up, making her way to the bar.

——

She wasn’t really having that much fun.

Behati had pulled her out to a bunch of places on the other side of town that she’d never been to, fake ID’s leading the way. She paid for her first glass of wine, something called merlot which she quite liked, but after that, shots and drinks just kept appearing in front of her. She tried asking what they were the first few times, but never getting an answer, she quit trying and just threw them back instead. Normally, she wasn’t much of a drinker, but there was something about Behati that just brought it out of her. Plus, she wasn’t happy to be away from Blake that evening, and alcohol proved to be an effective mask against insecurity. 

At first, she didn’t really believe that it was him. Her attention caught on a man sitting on a couch by himself, hunched over in a familiar way that she was used to. She discreetly slipped out of the crowd she was in to take a few steps towards him, and once some patrons were out of her way, she was seeing clearly now that it actually _was_ him. She stopped in her tracks, wondering if she should even approach him, if he would want her to, and this kept her frozen. Before she could even make a proper decision, someone else approached him. The woman handed Blake a drink and sat down _practically on his lap_ as she pecked a quick, blushing kiss on his cheek and giggled, her arm going around to hold onto his again. Now she definitely couldn’t move. She was frozen in place, the only sensation that she felt was that of tears forming in her eyes and one soon falling down her cheek. 

She watched Blake shift, taking a sip of his drink as the woman seemed to chatter on and Blake was looking around the room. Before she even realized it, his attention caught onto Gwen, and his full face went into a panic. His recognition of her shook something in her core and before either of them had time to react, Gwen had turned and bolted for the door. 

The cold air hit her skin the moment she pushed through the double doors and onto the street. Her breathing quickened as she felt herself crying, angrily wiping the tears away that were falling as she pushed through people to get away from there as fast as possible. Forgetting she was wearing Behati’s sky high heels, and the fact that she wasn’t the best at balancing them, she quickened her pace as the heel got stuck in a crevice on the sidewalk and caused her to hit the ground immediately. The shock from the fall shook her silent for a few minutes as she sat there, feeling a dozen eyes on her in concern as she was now crying in anger _and_ pain. She looked down to the heel strapped onto her foot and realized the heel snapped in half and quickly she began unbuckling the shoes in a frenzy. By the time she was trying to get those stupid heels off, Blake had caught up to her.

“Gwen!” she heard from behind her. She stiffened and didn’t stop as he hovered over her. “Baby, you’re really hurt,” he said softly, and it just hurt her even more.

“It’s just a scratch,” she mumbled angrily, holding the shoes in one hand and using her other to help her stand up, barefoot on the sidewalk. His hands went under her arms to help despite the fact that she didn’t want him to, and the moment she was standing, she jerked herself away and out of his grip. “Leave me the fuck alone,” she said, turning to walk down the street. She had a slight limp in one of her legs as she continued to walk.

“Gwen, please,” he begged, coming in front of her to stop her as both of his hands rested on her shoulders. “Please, let me talk to you that….that wasn’t what it looked like, will you please let me explain?”

“I tell you really private things about myself and…and I have sex with you, and you’re already not only dating other people but you’re lying to me about it? You’re canceling our plans to go out with other girls? Right, what exactly are you going to do to explain _that_ away?”

“Gwen, it’s not like that, I didn’t know that Adam…”

“Do you think I’m stupid enough to believe that girl hanging all over you is named _Adam_?”

“No! That’s not Adam, I’m trying to explain that was the girl he brought and didn’t tell me he was setting me up on a date and…Gwen, I’m such an idiot...”

She jerked back again. “Get off of me,” she pushed past him, continuing down the sidewalk.

“Gwen, you can hate me, but I’m not leaving you here,” he said, trailing behind her. “It’s fifty degrees out here, you barely have any clothes on, you’re drunk, you don’t have shoes, and you’re hurt.”

“I was taking care of myself just fine before you came along.”

“What are you going to do, walk back to you apartment?” he asked. “Gwen, you’re at least a twenty-five minute _drive_ away from where you live, did you know that?”

“I’ll figure it out, I don’t need you.”

“Stop,” he said, coming in front of her again, making her look at him. Her eyes met his for the first time and they were defeated and sad, not matching the angry tone her words had stung with against him so far. “I’m taking you home.”

“No, you’re not.”

“You can either walk back to my truck with me, or I’m going to carry you to it.”

“Option three, I keep walking down the sidewalk and you leave me alone,” she mumbled, taking a step to the left to move past him, but he wouldn’t let her. True to his word, in one swift motion he bent down, picking her up and gently swinging her over his shoulder. His hand came up to try and tug the small fabric of the dress to keep her bottom covered, but it barely worked. 

“Hey!” she exclaimed in protest, trying to wiggle out of his grip, but she was too influenced by the alcohol in contrast to how strong his arms were. “I don’t want to talk to you, let me down!”

“No,” he said simply, his arms tightening around her waist as she wiggled. “I’m taking you home whether you like it or not. You shouldn’t be out here this late and in your condition by yourself. I would rather kill myself than let something happen to you.”

The remainder of the walk back to his truck was quieter, Gwen exhausted herself trying to break free of his arms and eventually settled against him, letting him carry her. She heard his hand go into his pocket and his truck unlock, and after opening the door he slowly and gently sat her down in the front seat. Her arms crossed and she refused to look at him. 

“Are you going to stay put?” he asked her.

She wished she had other options. She wished she wasn’t still tipsy, that she hadn’t fallen and hurt her leg, that she hadn’t broken Behati’s shoes. Instead of looking at him or answering him, she reached over next to him and pulled the seatbelt down and across her chest, buckling it into place.

“Okay,” he said with a nod. He wanted to kiss her but he stopped himself. He didn’t know exactly what was going through her head, but he knew it wasn’t good, and he knew it was a bad idea to make moves like that. He gently shut the door to the passenger side and took a few long strides to the driver’s side, climbing in, and soon taking off.

She didn’t speak at all the entire ride home. Blake would glance at her occasionally and watch her; she kept her eyes glued out the window the entire time. Her body was curled up in a ball on the seat, she was obviously cold. They came to a stoplight and he reached in the back, retrieving his jacket and draping it over her. She pushed it off.

“I didn’t ask for your jacket,” she spat, obviously still angry. 

“So you’d rather sit there and shiver to death than put my jacket on?” A few moments of silence followed as she didn’t answer him. “Come on, Gwen, be reasonable here.”

“ _Reasonable?!”_ she exclaimed, and something deep in his gut felt punched as he hit a nerve. “You want to talk about being _reasonable_ right now?!”

He pulled up to her apartment complex and her hand flew forward for the door, but Blake hit the lock button before she was able to get out. 

“I need you to listen to me,” he begged, his arm reaching out and resting on her shoulder. “I haven’t seen Adam in months. He said he was swinging into town for a few days and that’s when I texted you to reschedule. I showed up at the bar and he had his new girlfriend with him and that’s when I found out it was a set up. I didn’t know how to get out of it, I don’t want to hurt anyone but damn it, Gwen, all I could think about all night was you. It wasn’t a date to me. I know, I know I let her lean against me, and touch my arm, and fuck, that looked really terrible, but I swear to you that you are the only person I want.” A few moments of silence fell between them again. “Baby…” 

“Let me out,” she said, her face snapping towards him, showcasing her tears. 

Defeated, Blake’s face sunk as he reached for the driver side door, hitting the button to unlock the rest. Gwen’s arm went for the handle and she pushed it open, jumping and landing a bit wobbly out of his truck. It only took him a split second to pull the key out of the ignition and follow her towards the apartment. 

“Go home, Blake,” she said. He didn’t respond as she dropped the contents of her purse in front of her front door while searching for her keys. Gwen was bent over on the ground digging through everything she had accidentally spilled, looking for them. A moment later he reached down, seeing it, and handed it to her. Gwen stood up and she started jamming the key at the lock incorrectly a few times, getting frustrated. After quickly picking up the other things she had dropped and putting them back in her purse, he stood up, took the key from her hand, and slid it in to unlock the door on his first attempt. 

“You’re not invited to come in,” she said next, taking her purse from him and throwing it on the couch, making her way to the bathroom. She shut and locked the door behind her, sinking to the ground and she let a few tears fall down her cheeks that she had previously been holding back. 

Blake’s fist hit the door lightly as his forehead leaned against it, exhaling in frustration as he tried to plan his next move. 

“Gwen, please come out so we can talk about this, baby.” 

_No response._

“I’m so sorry that I hurt you, because I didn’t mean to do that,” he said with a sigh. “I was just trying to be polite to her, I didn’t know what to do, I couldn’t tell Adam about you because of everything and…please, I can’t lose you, Gwen.” 

_No response._

He sighed again, frustrated, as he let his body slide down the door and into a sitting position. His head went to his hands and he was continually met with silence from the other side. He was thinking intently about how to form his words, how to get himself out of this mess he found himself in. 

“Gwen, I almost killed myself after my divorce.” 

It was a peculiar choice of words that got her attention. He was hesitating to continue, but soon, he did. 

“Adam watched the whole thing. I was really messed up. I wasn’t eating, I was drinking all day long. It got so bad that I had to move in with him for a while because he didn’t trust me to live alone. Thought he would get a call one day that I drank myself to death and my body was found days later, or somethin’.” He sighed. “Hell, at one point, I probably would have pulled the trigger. It was bad, and he’s still really worried about me. He doesn’t know about you…yet…because of, well, you know.” A pause. “He brought that girl out to meet me tonight because he thinks that I’m still hiding from the world and falling back into bad habits. But I’m not doin’ that, because of you, Gwen.” 

Tentatively, and with more tears streaming down her cheeks, she hesitated a minute before she gently crawled towards the bathroom door, listening to him. 

“I just wanted to have a few drinks with Adam tonight and he was trying to help, and I was stupid for not putting an end to it, I thought I could just hang out with them and be done with it for this one night and think nothing of it after that. I was really dumb.” He let out a breath, shutting his eyes tight before he continued. “Baby, I know you’re not used to guys that want to treat you the way you deserve to be treated, but I promise, I’m still that guy. This thing between us…it’s not just something I’m doin’ for fun, I care about you more than I’ve cared about anything else in a really long time.” 

He exhaled, running his hand over his face as the silence came between them once more. It was soon interrupted by the sound of the bathroom door unlocking, which caught his attention. He stood up and slowly turned the handle, opening the door to reveal Gwen curled up in the corner, sitting on the floor. He took a few careful steps towards her and sat next to her, and almost instantly, her curled up body fell into his lap as he held her. 


	12. 36 Hours

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh...hey there, I didn't die. 
> 
> Don't know when I am able to update again but hope you enjoy this. 
> 
> <3

“I’m going to——“

Gwen’s stomach turned suddenly and she shot out of Blake’s embrace, her hands clutching the edge of the toilet as her stomach began emptying its contents. She was hunched over, her legs shaking slightly as she coughed. She felt one of Blake’s hands rest on her lower back, the other loosely gathering and holding her hair out of her face for her. She seemed to get to a stopping point, coughing here and there. 

“Take a deep breath,” Blake advised softly. Gwen obliged, sitting back on her heels. 

“Why do I do this?” she whined, hanging her head in defeat. “Literally nothing good ever happens when I drink like Behati drinks.”

“Well, I’d say falling into my backyard didn’t end up being such a horrible thing in the end,” he tried lightening the mood. She coughed a few more times and her hand went to her forehead. “Come on. Why don’t we get you a quick shower, get some advil in you, and get you to bed?”

She hesitated, considering his proposition. “Kay,” she eventually said, suddenly finding a hoarse tone in her voice. Blake stood up and hooked his hands under her arms, pulling her up into a standing position gently. He turned to the shower and reached in, turning it on. Gwen’s arms twisted and went behind her back, trying to find the zipper, but she was pouty and unsuccessful. His hand gently tapped her hip to let her know he was there to help, and he pulled the zipper down her back and she stepped out of the tiny dress. She quickly slipped her underwear off before stepping into the shower, pulling the curtain behind her.

“I’ll go get you some clothes while you shower. Where should I look?”

“Bottom left drawer, dresser,” she responded. She meant to say _thank you_ , but the words failed before they even left her mouth, as her hand went to her forehead feeling a throbbing headache coming on.

“I’ll be back, darlin’…” he said, before going out of the bathroom in search of clothes. Once he found an oversized shirt and sleep shorts in the drawer, he brought it back and set it on the vanity and stepped out, sitting just outside in case she needed him. Within another fifteen minutes she was dressed, her damp hair pulled back into a loose braid, and she was emerging from the bathroom. She looked tired and defeated, and Blake stood once he realized she was there. 

“I have the advil,” he said gently, taking a few steps over to her with a couple of pills in his hand and a small cup of water. Gwen’s face scrunched in disapproval, looking down at his hands. “Baby, come on, this is going to help.” Gwen sighed and reached forward, taking the pills and popping them in her mouth. She cringed a bit right before she took a sip back of water and swallowed, her eyes going up to him for the first time. 

“Bed?” he asked. She closed her eyes and nodded, turning to walk towards her room. She felt his hand on her back guiding her, supporting her, towards the bedside. Blake reached over and turned the lamp next to her bed on, and pulled the duvet back to allow her to crawl under the covers.

“Don’t go,” she said quietly. She stopped suddenly before she climbed into bed and looked up to him from the side, her expression nearly worried. 

He leaned over a bit and kissed the top of her head. “Wasn’t planning on it,” he responded. Gwen hesitated a moment before leaning forward to crawl into bed. A second later Blake took a seat next to her bed on the ground, pulling the duvet covers over her body. Gwen curled up on her side, facing him, tugging the duvet under her chin. Her expression was caught somewhere between sad, worried, and upset. It was incredibly hard to pin down. 

Blake reached a hand out and rested it on the side of her head, his thumb stroking her cheek gently. She just continued to watch him in silence, and they stayed like this for quite some time. 

“I don’t want to ever do anything to hurt you,” Blake broke the silence eventually, with a soft voice. His eyes were staring right into hers and kept focused on her every reaction. 

“What was I supposed to think,” she said in that hoarse, tired voice of hers. She let him continue to stroke her cheek in those moments as her eyes were simply fixated. 

“Shh…” he interrupted. “I know, Gwen, you didn’t do anything wrong…that was me…”

She let out a heavy exhale as he ran his thumb between her eyebrows and across her forehead, her eyes closing for a few moments. She was finally starting to feel calmer as she felt her body relax. 

“I know you have been treated horribly by people in your past,” he began next. “People have lied to you. Taken advantage of you. Made you feel bad about yourself. I don’t want to do that, here. Just want to take care of you. Help you see how amazin’ you are.”

Her eyes shut tight again for a moment as she took in and processed his words. When they opened, her arms were reaching out for his, pulling him closer. She turned on her opposite side and made room on the bed, tugging him to come up and lay with her. Understanding her intention, a small smile came to Blake’s face as he gently climbed into bed behind her, bringing her close to him as they settled into a spooning position. His lips brushed her neck as he kissed her there while his arm went around her and held her tightly. 

The moment his large frame enveloped her small one, she let out a breath and felt the last of the anger melt off of her. It was so odd to her how fast Blake could calm her down, even when he was the one that was to blame. She found her eyes closing soon after, barely feeling his light strokes down her arm as she drifted to sleep.

——

He said he had wanted to try and give her some space. 

Ever since they woke up the next morning having not moved from the night before, he had picked up that she was still processing and trying to wrestle with her own demons. Blake wanted to be there for her, and he was, but he also felt like she needed a bit of time to herself. 

Maybe it was for the best, maybe she needed to clear her head and take the weekend to really think things through, and if she just jumped back into everything so quickly with Blake it wouldn’t have been the best idea. 

Blake had left her standing on that porch alone that Saturday morning after a few gentle kisses against her skin, his back turned towards her as he walked back to his truck. Her heart was pulling at her desperately to go towards him, but she resisted. She stood still as she longed to stay with him, a mixture of unknown and unfamiliar feelings sitting deep in the pit of her stomach. He turned to give a small wave and smile before taking off, leaving Gwen to her own devices. 

Saturday dragged by slowly. Behati popped back in the apartment for a few hours just to shower and get ready to go out again that night, an invitation Gwen quickly declined. Her roommate had a stomach of steel, of this she was certain, and drinking only ever seemed to get her in trouble. She was too conflicted, too in her own head to even think about going out. It was exhausting.

She spent the night mindlessly flipping through the channels on the TV, eventually passing out sometime after midnight on the couch.

She woke up on Sunday morning, Behati nowhere to be found. Gwen was pretty certain her roommate hadn’t come home the night before, but it was something she was getting used to. Sighing, she pulled herself into the shower in an attempt to feel human again. The weight and overthinking of the events of Friday night were still weighing heavily on her. 

She tried to get her mind off of it, look through her school work, watch a movie, but nothing seemed to work. Her eyes flashed over to the clock as she realized the day got away from her and it was nearly 6:00 pm. Frustrated, she threw the book in her lap down on the couch and grabbed her purse and keys. She was a woman on a mission. 

Before she knew it, she was knocking on Blake’s front door.

He answered within a minute or two with Betty by his side. He offered her a small, albeit confused, smile, as the door opened.

“Gwen,” he said with a hint of question in his voice.

“This is ridiculous. I don’t need space from you right now,” she stated suddenly, and with conviction. Her face betrayed her otherwise; it was overcome with nerves. 

“Baby, I just wanted to give you some room to breathe, you don’t have to…my god, come here,” he said with a sigh, opening his arms to her as she willingly went into them. His arms stretched easily around her back and he hugged her tightly against his chest. She let her head lean against him as the world seemed to stop. “Come on,” he encouraged her a bit, tugging her inside a few steps so he could close and lock the front door. While his back was turned, Gwen closed the distance between them. Blake swiveled back to face her and instead of letting him hug her, her hands gently rested on his stomach and she pushed his back up against the closed and locked front door. 

Gwen moved forward in one swift motion and pushed up on her toes, her hands finding a resting place behind his neck as she kissed him deeply. Blake was a bit surprised but didn’t miss a beat, pulling her into him more. After a few deep, slow kisses, he managed to hold back enough to get a few words out between them.

“Hey…we don’t have to…”

“I _need_ to,” she interrupted him in a whisper, her lips crashing against his once more. Blake’s hands grabbed securely onto her hips, holding her up and against him. He turned suddenly, switching their positions as Gwen’s back hit the wall gently, Blake pinning her down as he let his lips trace away from her lips, across her cheek, and slowly down her neck. Gwen arched her neck forward, opening it up to him, letter herself be available for his taking. 

She felt his tongue dart out across the skin; she bit her lip as he grazed a particularly sensitive area. He did it again, and her hands tightened with him in her grip at his side. Her eyes closed as his hand came up, delicately brushing down her neck, his eyes watching her. Gwen felt her body try and lurch forward, wanting his lips on hers again, but he shook his head and pinned her tighter, restricting her movement. He brushed again, and she writhed under his touch.

“Blake.”

His hand drew up, placing a finger against her lips for a few beats to silence her, before grazing back down. His fingers hooked into the hem of her shirt and tugged it over her head, leaving her standing in a pink bra and her shorts. His hands squeezed her hips and turned her around, stomach against the wall, before he continued. 

She seemed more aware of her breathing in those moments. When she felt his fingers trace down her bare back, when she felt the warmth of his breath against the back of her neck. Blake undid the clasp on the back of her bra within a few beats, soon after pushing the straps delicately down her shoulders and encouraging it to fall to the ground. He brought her hands up, layed her palms against the wall on either side of her chest, just before he moved in to kiss and nibble at her neck once more. He did this for a few moments before he let his hands slide down her body, one hand moving center and dipping into her underwear.

Gwen let out a soft moan and a shaky breath as his finger teased her, his lips occupying her neck as his body pressed a little more into her just to remind her that he was in charge of her in those moments.

“ _Upstairs_ ,” she managed in a strained voice. It was all the strength she had. 

“Mmm. Why do you want to go upstairs, Gwen?”

“…because…” she let out with a breath and an unexpected gasp as his finger changed course, moving deeper and slipping inside of her. 

He chuckled a little. “That’s not a reason, babe.”

She let out a frustrated whine as she couldn’t manage any other words with his finger teasing her clit. She felt her knees start to weaken and she fisted at the wall as she took the torture. Her forehead pressed hard against it as she bit her lip, having to really concentrate a few times to not let herself fall. Blake wasn’t going to let her go anywhere, of course, but he couldn’t help but enjoy the show. When she seemed to get desperate enough for his liking, he gently pulled his hand out of her shorts, bent slightly and scooped her up in his arms. Gwen let out a surprised squeal as her hands grabbed around his neck and she chuckled as Blake hurried them both up the stairs.

Her back hit the mattress and before she realized, Blake had pulled her shorts and underwear completely off before climbing on top of her. Gwen’s hands immediately grabbed his shirt and pushed up, then grabbed his jeans and undid them quickly, pushing them down. Her eyes fell on his erection and she bit her lip, looking up at him mischievously. 

“Do you want to put that inside of me, baby?”

His frame leaned forward and pinned Gwen to the bed as he came down, his mouth moving right up next to her ear. He nibbled it, and she squirmed a little. Blake’s hands moved up and grabbed both of her arms, pinning them down so she couldn’t move. He kissed her neck and nibbled her ear again, before whispering. 

“You like it inside of you,” he reminded her. “I’ll put it in when I’m ready.”

His mouth moved down and took one of her erect nipples into his mouth without warning, and her body arched and bucked up against him as he teased. His strong frame kept her pinned down to the bed, and she was helpless to what he wanted to do to her. Blake shifted and paid the other nipple some attention, too, and she couldn’t contain herself any longer. 

“But I want it now,” Gwen said softly, her lip biting again as she threw her head back in her best attempt to not let him drive her crazy. 

“I don’t think you want it that badly.”

“Blake, _please_ , I really want it, baby, please.”

He ignored her, and just took her other breast back into his mouth.

“I am so desperate for you right now Blake,” she whined, enjoying the tease, but being completely tortured by it at the same time. 

“You’re going to have to wait,” he said with a chuckle. It felt almost sadistic. He moved down her body and let her hands free, but not before catching her in the eye. “Don’t move your arms,” he said sternly. She kept them put, as his hands opened and spread her legs for him. He hovered a moment before reaching forward and licking up and down her center softly.

Another moan escaped from her mouth as her hips writhed from side to side, trying desperately to make him do more, even though her body was also fighting to pull away from the tease. His hands gripped her hips roughly and he held her still, her body reacting to every touch of his tongue. Without thinking about it, her hands moved down and rested on his curls, which caused him to stop and look up at her.

“I didn’t tell you that you could move your arms,” he said pointedly, which led her to immediately pulling them back and placing them back above her head. When Blake was satisfied of their placement, his tongue slipped inside of her as his thumb moved to tease her clit at the same time. 

“Blake, oh my god, you’re just torturing me now,” she managed between ragged breaths, her body almost shaking at this point. He smiled through his teasing of her as he picked up the pace, darting his tongue in and out of her rougher and quickening the pace of his thumb against her. Indescribable moans escaped from her mouth as her body ached, and after what felt like an eternity, he was hovering on top of her, gently moving her hips wider as he began to enter. 

He allowed her time to adjust and moved in deeper, careful to keep an eye on her reaction to make sure he wasn’t going too fast. He moved her legs up and rested her ankles on his shoulders, allowing him to go in even deeper. 

“Oh my _god_ ,” she moaned. “Baby, you feel so incredible.” At her encouragement, he moved in and out of her slightly, as he began starting to establish a rhythm. “More. Faster,” she groaned desperately. His hands tightened on her hips more at her begging and he thrust himself into her harder, trying to maintain as much control as possible in case it was too much, but she seemed to be enjoying it.

“How does that feel?” he asked in between thrusts. “God this view is amazing with you on your back…”

“You’re going to make me…” her hips rocked harder into him a few times before her entire body tensed up and her hands grabbed for his and she began riding out her orgasm. He realized what was happening and moved himself in a few more times hard to make his own happen as well. He leaned forward in between her legs, letting them fall to the bed as they both got lost in the bliss. 

Next thing Blake knew, they were both laying on the bed next to each other, sprawled out, controlling their own breathing. Gwen was slightly hunched on her stomach with her face in the mattress, while Blake was on his back, spread out and staring at the ceiling fan in order to find his composure again. His hand reached over and traced up Gwen’s naked back delicately, from her ass into the curve of her spine. She shivered a moment later at the touch, which caused him to move closer to her. He shifted and pulled up the comforter over their bodies as he settled against her as the big spoon. His lips brushed and kissed her neck again and she sighed, opening her eyes for the first time. 

“Whoa.”

Blake just chuckled.


	13. Discipline

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok so I know you guys REALLY love this story but I'm going to be honest. I've been stuck for a while. This chapter was the last 'full' idea I had for it so at this point, I'm really stuck. I'm trying to get out of the rut and think ahead but I can't make any promises.
> 
> If anyone wants to DM me on twitter with any ideas I am totally game to hear them! 
> 
> @xoelectric
> 
> I'm not giving up on this story I just need to try and find the bigger picture before I keep going.
> 
> And now I shall give you some raunchy sex. Enjoy. 
> 
> xoxo

She was a woman possessed; she didn’t know what Blake did to her, but she wanted it. She wanted him, all the time, and any place. 

They had really hit their rhythm with their sexual compatibility and for the time being, at least, it seemed to be what dominated the relationship. Gwen would end up over at his house and her hands immediately had to touch him, stroke him, she had to be near him. Even passing each other in a public place their hands would casually sway out to just give them a fix of touch before immediately having to force themselves to keep their cool. It should have bothered her more that her private studio sessions with Blake were largely unproductive these days, but it wasn’t her fault they put a couch in there. 

The one time when all of this was truly torture, though, was when Gwen had to sit through a class with him. While Blake mostly worked in the studios, he did teach two sections of a class, but she couldn’t have told you what they were talking about if she tried. Those hour long classes were like pressing your nose up to the glass window of a bakery when you’re on a diet; so close, yet so far away.

She was able to watch him, though. _Study_ him. If there was a college degree for majoring in Blake Shelton, she would have qualified without trying. The way he walked when he was confident versus when he was trying to play something off with a joke and he wasn’t sure if if had gone over well. How he would sit on his desk and cross his arms instead of behind the desk or siting down. The way those blue eyes lit up when someone in the class spoke up and seemed to get something new. When he would dare glance over at her, but then had to force the glance away or else they’d both get in trouble.

He was literally the cupcake to her no-carb diet. And she wanted to break it in so many ways. 

His attention was drawing to her more that day. His curiosity was piqued, and he seemed to be more interested in her than normal. Gwen figured it might have been because she wasn’t dressed quite like the others in the class; where others wore a simple pair of jeans and a t-shirt, she had a beige, form fitting trench coat on pulled in tight at the waist. Her hair was parted into two pigtails, her blonde locks curled at the end and laying over her shoulders with just a few smaller curls framing her face. Her lips were painted a subtle red that matched the red heels she decided to wear to complete the look. And her intense brown eyes were just locked on him. 

“Please make sure to pass your papers up to the front before you leave,” Blake said, bringing Gwen back to reality and the realization settling in that the class had ended. She felt a classmate tap her shoulder from behind and hand her a stack of papers, and she continued the line, handing them forward, but not putting one in of her own. It was then she realized his intense gaze was just resting on her. Watching her.

The classroom cleared out, and neither of them had moved. Blake was casually leaning against the desk at the front of the classroom, his eyes still intent on her. She sat unbothered, unmoved, as her eyes looked back to him. There was this indescribable undertone and aura that suddenly took over the room now that no others were present. 

“Miss Stefani, I noticed you didn’t pass forward a paper of your own,” he mused after a few moments. Gwen bit her lip - god, she knew he hated when she did that in a public place, and it felt _good_ \- and downcast her eyes for a fleeting moment. Soon her gaze was up again and she stood up, collecting her shoulder bag and lifting it to hold. The straps rested against her right shoulder and her heels clicked as she walked forward towards him. Her eyes momentarily diverted to the classroom door, which was still open, and she knew she had to be careful. 

“Maybe we should talk about this in your office, Professor Shelton,” she offered, a hint of seduction in her voice, and her eyes staying intent on him. 

“Very well,” he conceded, pushing to stand up from the desk and he held out his hand towards the door to indicate for her to walk in front of him. “I think you remember the way.”

She walked in front of him like he asked her to and she kept her eyes forward, going back to his office. Blake kept pace right behind the blonde, and once they went down the quiet, deserted halls, she rounded the corner to where she knew it was. She reached for the doorknob and attempted to open the door, but it was locked. She stepped aside as Blake pulled the key from his pocket and effortlessly turned it, opening the door. 

Gwen stepped inside first, her eyes going to the large windows behind his desk where the blinds were open. Blake came in behind her and without warning, his lips were on her neck.

She breathed as the sudden feeling shocked her, but she gave into it for a minute. His hands grabbed onto her shoulders as he held her there, his for the taking. 

“ _Mr. Shelton_ ,” she said intently, letting out a moan. He wasn’t prepared for what that made him feel like, her calling him with such titles and letting him know that he was in charge of her. She broke away from his grasp and forced herself forward, towards the window, as she slowly began turning the blinds to close one by one. She didn’t turn around to look at him, and his eyes were burning a hole in her back as she felt him watch her. When she got to the last one, she finished closing it, and her hands went to the tie around her waist. 

“Professor Shelton, I did something really bad,” she said quietly. “I know that paper was due today in your class but I just wasn’t able to finish it on time."

She unfastened the trench coat and let it fall to the floor. Blake’s breath caught in the back of his throat as he wasn’t sure if he had forgotten to breathe for a second, or if he was just shocked. Probably a bit of both.

Gwen was standing there, back turned to him, in the tiniest school girl outfit.

The blue plaid skirt she had on - if you could even call it that - barely covered half of her ass and was only complimented by the tiny black g-string underneath it, which was fully revealed. She turned to look at him and that’s when he saw the tiny white button up shirt - tied to bare her stomach, unbuttoned and with her red bra showing through. He didn’t even realize when he took a few steps forward, going over to her. He was soon standing right in front of her, suddenly feeling the urge to do so many new things. 

“Why didn’t you finish it on time, Miss Stefani?” he asked, after he was able to compose himself. He took a seat down in his chair and his demeanor relaxed back a bit, keeping his eye on her.

She moved forward, taking the initiative to straddle his lap, sitting on top of him. Her arms went around his neck as her breasts pushed forward, and she felt his hands grab her bare ass. Her lips came up to his right ear.

“It was just such a… _hard_ …subject matter.”

His hands squeezed her ass at the mention of _hard_ and he grit his teeth. He was having such a _hard_ time keeping himself contained. 

“I think I deserve to be disciplined,” she cooed. 

“I think I agree with you,” he responded. Her body stretched to sit up on him again, she was biting her lip again. Blake’s eyes were caught on her breasts, which were almost falling out of that bra and tiny shirt. He gently tugged at the tie with his finger and he watched it unravel, his hands coming up to push it off of her shoulders, just leaving her in the bra then. “How do you want to be disciplined?”

She felt her cheeks flush and her eyes averted down. “I don’t know, Mr. Shelton.” It was obvious that she did, though, and she was just being quiet. 

“I think you _do_ know, Miss Stefani,” he corrected. “I know you’ve been bad before. How do bad girls get punished?”

Her voice was a low murmur. “Bad girls get spanked, Mr. Shelton.”

His hands smoothed up her back, his fingers tugging at her bra clasp and soon letting it release. Her bra straps slid down her shoulders, and he brought his hands around her body and slowly tugged the bra off of her, leaving her exposed to him. 

“Does that mean that you should be spanked, Miss Stefani?”

Her doe eyes came up to him and she nodded a few times profusely. His hands gently glided down her body and rested on her thighs, slipping under the barely there skirt. His thumb dipped between her legs and swiped across her center, causing her to jolt in the slightest.

“Sounds like we need to get this off of you and over my knee, then.”

“Yes, sir,” she responded, but she didn’t move. His thumb came back and even lighter than before, gently touched her center. She felt herself throbbing in anticipation. Blake’s hands came to her hips and he stood her up in front of him, his fingers grazing up her skirt and finding the strings on her hips. He pulled the underwear down slowly, dropping them at her ankles. He turned her to the side right before she laid across his lap completely, and he pulled the pleats of the skirt up to reveal her ass fully to him. His hand went across it completely before his finger dipped between his legs, finding and teasing her center. 

“How does that feel, Miss Stefani?”

“Oh Mr. Shelton,” she breathed, letting out a moan. 

“You really are a naughty little girl,” he said with a slight chuckle. “You’re soaking wet and I think you really do want to be spanked. Am I right?”

“Yes, sir.”

“I want you to count them out loud, do you understand?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Why are you being spanked, Miss Stefani?”

“I’m being spanked because I didn’t finish my paper and I’m a bad girl, Mr. Shelton. And I need to be disciplined.” 

“Good girl.”

His hand moved out from between her legs and rounded one of her cheeks, the first three spanks in succession shocking her, causing her to gasp, but she kept quiet besides that. She counted each out as she felt them, her hands balling into a fist as he continued. 

"Three…four…five…."

He alternated between cheeks, and once she counted up to twelve, his hand came to rest on her ass. 

“Did that teach you a lesson?” he asked quietly, with a hint of sternness to his voice.

“Yes.”

“Yes what?” he asked, spanking her once more. Gwen wasn’t expecting that and she yelped a little bit. 

“Yes, sir.”

“Stand up.”

Her feet touched the ground behind her, and she did as she was instructed. The skirt stayed hiked up around her waist and she stood still, waiting for his further instruction. Blake also stood and unbuttoned his jeans, letting them fall with his boxers to the ground. He took a seat again and moved his hands and rested them on Gwen’s hips, tugging her forward to sit and straddle him again, dangerously close to his dick. She was already anticipating him, and straddling him so close without him actually being inside of her was a new kind of torture. She bit her lip as she dared to bring her eyes to meet his. Her thighs clenched slightly as she felt his finger trail against her inner thigh, he was just teasing her now. 

After a few moments she looked like she was in torture, her hands clenching hard to his shoulders as she tried to keep herself contained. His finger was light against her skin, moving in circles and curvy lines and would every so often brush against her most sensitive areas. She couldn’t take it anymore. Her hands gripped him tighter and she let her forehead fall to his shoulder, not able to concentrate on him touching her like that without a jolted reaction. 

“Having trouble with something, Miss Stefani?”

“No,” she said in a bit of a groan. His hands grabbed her ass and brought her down to grind into him a bit more.

“Would you lie to me, Miss Stefani?”

She let out a whimper. It’s all she could manage. “Professor Shelton…” she said with a strained voice. 

“Do you want me inside of you?”

“Yes, please, Professor Shelton…”

“I’m not sure if that’s a good idea. You’re in my office for a punishment, after all.”

“Please, Professor Shelton, I’ll do _anything_ …”

His finger swiped gently against her center and she gasped, wiggling as she tried to keep herself as still as possible. He then reached between them and lined up to her center, pushing inside, pulling her down harder on top of him.

“Oh my god,” she said a bit too loudly, but she didn’t care. Her hips rocked and without being told she was picking up a rhythm, trying to ride him, trying to find her release. She quickened her pace in no time and was moving up and down on top of him, she was so wet, and it was so easy. Blake turned the chair so that the back of the table was braced by the desk, and just after Gwen pushed on her knees and forward into him, her head leaning over his shoulder a bit. His hands squeezed her ass and he decided to surprise her and spanked her twice more, and she could have sworn up and down that was what ultimately sent her into her orgasm. 

She didn’t feel that he was there with her just yet, so she rocked her hips and encouraged him to take control of her. He picked up on the meaning and began pulling her down on top of him with greater intensity as she rode her orgasm out, and just as she finished and felt herself slump over, he let out a groan to let her know that he was just behind her. 

They took a few moments to recover. Gwen’s head was resting on his shoulder, and Blake was just laying back and relaxed, gripping the chair arms. Soon Gwen’s head popped up and she placed a quick kiss on his cheek, which brought him back to his senses. 

“I like _Discipline Blake_ ,” she said quietly, with a cute giggle. 

“And I really like _Naked Naughty Schoolgirl Gwen_ …” he said in return, that caused them both to laugh a bit. He gently withdrew from her and she stood up, grabbing her clothes and stuffing them in her bag. She slipped the bra and thong on and covered herself again with the trench coat, tying it tight, and reached for her schoolbag. She pulled out a folder.

“Here’s that report, by the way,” she said slyly, sliding it across the desk. Blake just shook his head and stood up, pulling his boxers and jeans up to rest on his hips, buttoning them. His arm went around her waist and he pulled her close, giving her a long kiss. 

“See you tonight,” he said, murmured into her hair. She turned to leave, and he reached behind her to give her one more spank on her ass as she bent to pick up her bag. She let out a giggle and shook her head, slipping on her heels quick before walking out of his office, letting the door close behind her.


End file.
